The ruling Labour government considers the scientific evidence for global warming “overwhelming.” Former Prime Minister Blair vowed to make Britain a low-carbon model. What exactly does that mean?
 | Climate PoliticsBritain's Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, commissioned the Stern Review on the costs of climate change during his time as UK finance minister (Photo: Reuters) |
According to official figures, Britain is on track to meet its Kyoto Protocol commitment of reducing GHG emissions by 12.5 percent of 1990 levels by 2012. According to government statistics, Britain’s emissions are down over 17 percent, and are projected to be over 23 percent below 1990 levels by 2012.
A group of economists around the Oxford-based Dieter Helm, however, have called this progress an "illusion". They recalculated the UK's emissions including pollution from aviation, shipping, overseas trade, and tourism–which are not measured in the official figures–estimating that emissions of UK greenhouse gases have risen 19 percent since 1990.
National Policies
The ruling Labour government considers the scientific evidence for global warming "overwhelming." Former Prime Minister Blair vowed to make Britain a model demonstrating to the world that a low-carbon economy does not mean a weak economy. Despite this commitment, authorities have announced that the country might miss a self-imposed target of a 20-percent reduction in emissions by 2010.
Meanwhile the government has set more ambitious long-term goals. A Climate Change Law was passed in November 2008 committing Britain to a 80-percent reduction in GHG emissions from 1990 levels by 2050, and a 26-percent reduction by 2020.
Although generally welcomed by environmental groups, such as Friends of the Earth and WWF, it was also criticized for not including emissions from shipping and aviation, the latter of which has surged in the UK and Europe in recent years.
The Climate Change Law follows a spate of recent UK government policies aimed at reducing the national carbon footprint through renewable energies and energy efficiency, through changing public behavior and consumption, and through taxation.
Recent policies include the Climate Change Levy from 2001, a tax on energy produced from fossil fuels and nuclear power. The levy exempted renewable energies, and was meant to increase energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.
The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation from 2005 requires 5 percent of all road vehicle fuel to be supplied from sustainable renewable sources by 2010.
Institutions and Initiatives
Income from the Climate Tax Levy is being used to fund the Carbon Trust, an independent company that invests in low-carbon technologies and supports companies with tax breaks, interest-free loans and advice to improve efficiency and reduce emissions. An Energy Saving Trust was established to deliver similar benefits to private households.
The Environment Ministry (also known by the acronym DEFRA) is also investigating the feasibility of "personal carbon allowances," which would introduce the concept of emissions trading to each household in Britain.
Part of the government's challenge in implementing anything like a personal carbon trading scheme and to reduce overall emissions is mobilizing the necessary public support. To these ends, the government has launched the Climate Change Communications Initiative, while non-governmental institutions such as the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) have studied how global warming policies resonate with the British public.
Opposition and the Monarchy
The current Labour government is not the only force in British politics demanding a low-carbon economy. In editorials in the mainstream press, Conservative leader David Cameron has called for revisions to the Climate Levy and "a greater sense of urgency about climate change."
Prince Charles, next in line to the British crown, called climate change the "greatest challenge to face man," and said a £15 billion annual program was required to halt deforestation or the world would have to live with the dire consequences of a rapidly changing climate.
International Policies
Gordon Brown says the UK must take a leading role in international efforts to slow climate change. Along with its Kyoto Protocol commitments, Britain is also a key country in the flagship European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), which will serve as an example for future emissions trading markets.
In April 2007, former British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett initiated the first-ever debate about climate change in the UN Security Council. Although some nations protested that the council was not the appropriate venue for discussing the issue, Beckett said that global warming could threaten global security and stability through mass displacement and widespread food and water scarcity.
The British government has also begun a number of bilateral partnerships, such as a new UK-China initiative to develop "near-zero emissions coal" and carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, and a joint study with India about technology transfer.
Sources: DEFRA, The Guardian, BBC, The Independent, Foreign Affairs, Financial Times, The Climate Group, IPPR, The Carbon Trust
editor: Valdis Wish
latest update: May 28, 2009
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