CBI tells government to speed up climate change action
The Government needs to speed up the pace of action on climate change dramatically if it is to meet its target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050, says the CBI. The warning comes as European leaders are meeting in Poland to negotiate a landmark climate change deal
Speaking at the CBI's Climate Change Summit in London (Tuesday 2 December), CBI Director-General Richard Lambert said the global economic crisis is not a reason for inaction on climate change.
He called on the Government to show leadership by forging ahead with its ambitious emissions reduction targets and delivering a framework for investment. Failure to do so would mean missing an opportunity to cut carbon emissions and secure the UK's energy supply.
He said: "We must not let the global economic crisis become an excuse for inaction on climate change. Now more than ever, we need to secure a binding EU climate change deal, or the opportunity to make the transition to a low-carbon economy will slip through our fingers.
"The Government's commitment to reducing emissions by 80 per cent by 2050 is very ambitious and it has made a promising start with the creation of the new Department for Energy and Climate Change and the Planning Act. But we now need the Government to transform its ambition into action.
"If the Government can deliver the right framework for investment then UK businesses can take the initiative by developing and exploiting new green technologies to improve efficiency and cut costs.
"The sooner that happens, the closer we will be to creating significant numbers of green collar jobs, building future prosperity for the UK and meeting our climate change targets."
Ben Verwaayen, Chair of the CBI Climate Change Board and Chief Executive of Alcatel-Lucent, added that businesses should not view being green as a burden during the economic downturn, but as an opportunity.
He said: "Being green, especially in these times, is not a luxury. It is a critical issue and an important opportunity for business and for creative thinking.
"Where the great depression was solved by building roads and bridges, what this economic crisis needs is green innovation in both energy and applications."
At the event, the CBI is launching a Climate Change Tracker, which rates the Government's progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The tracker looks at how the Government has fared in four key areas: energy, buildings, transport and industry. But it concludes that the Government's long-term ambition must be matched with short-term action if its greenhouse emissions targets are to be met.
