Government's climate change bill
Updated on 13 March 2007
The government's draft climate change bill, which aims to move the UK to a low-carbon economy, is published today.
Environment Secretary David Miliband presents the government's climate change bill today.
The bill's headline measure is a plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 60% by the year 2050, part of a framework for moving the UK to a low-carbon economy.
The Conservative Party, who have made the running on green issues in recent months, want annual targets for reducing emissions.
But the government argues that this would make it more difficult for businesses to plan for the medium and long term.
Last week the Tories proposed green taxes aimed at reducing emissions from flights.
The key points of today's bill are -
- Legally binding targets to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 60 per cent by 2050 and by up to 32 per cent by 2020.
- Legally binding "carbon budgets", set at least 15 years ahead A new statutory body, the Committee on Clilmate Change, to provide independent expert advice to government on achieving targets
- New powers to enable the government to more easily implement policies to cut emissions
- A new system of annual open and transparent reporting to parliament by the Committee on Climate Change.
- A requirement for government to report at least every five years on current and predicted impacts of climate change and on its plans fo adapting to climate change.
