Are Labour really tackling climate change?

I was asked this question the otherday in response to last month's Independent newspaper who ran a front page with Tony Blair asking “Who says I’m not Green?” (18 November 2006).

Photo: Mildest December on record

I have to ask can Mr Blair really be serious asking this? Caroline Lucas Green MEP answers:

This is a Prime Minister under whose government greenhouse gases have risen, not fallen; a Prime Minister who has dragged his feet on implementing key European legislation on energy efficiency (and faces being taken to the European Court over it), and one who is presiding over both a 30 billion pound road building scheme, and the biggest expansion of aviation – the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions - in a generation.

The climate measures he has proposed so far are largely timid and ineffectual. For example, his proposal to include aviation into the EU Emissions Trading Scheme could actually result in higher overall emissions.

The problem is that aircraft emissions are between two and four times more damaging to the climate than those from most other industries (due partly to the altitude at which they are emitted, and to the effects of non-CO2 emissions such as nitrogen oxides and condensation trails). As aviation is likely to be a net buyer of permits, ground-level emissions will be replaced by emissions with at least twice the climatic impact. Moreover, the price increase to customers will be negligible, and will fail seriously to reduce aviation growth.

As the European Parliament’s Rapporteur on Aviation and Climate, I have proposed an aviation-only emissions trading scheme, together with parallel taxes to address aviation’s non-CO2 impacts – proposals which have been agreed by my European colleagues, but still opposed by this government. If Blair really wants to be seen as “Green”, he should take his own advice – stop posturing, and urgently introduce practical policies which will really make a difference.

Indeed our Government Ministers (notably Milliband) have for far too long got away with outrageous spin on the UK Governments performance re climate changing emissions. They have done this by using obviously carefully prepared forms of words, mixing statistics in a confusing way and this has been helped by the failure of most journalists to challenge properly.

The most recent "The Environment in your pocket (2006)" published by Defra using the National Statistics office contains data that clearly nails this Government on many of their false claims.

Typical claims from Ministers:

- This Government is a world leader in reducing emissions
- This Government is successfully reducing greenhouse gas emissions and is going to reduce them further

There are 2 main measures of greenhouse gas emissions which Ministers like to confuse. There is the Kyoto basket of 6 gases (which include CO2) and the separate CO2 alone figure. The Defra publication helps put these straight:

The Kyoto basket of 6 greenhouse gasses (as expressed in millions of tonnes CO2 equivalent) has RISEN in the UK since 2003. Most of the reduction towards the Kyoto target of a 12.5% reduction (by 2008/12 on a 1990 base) occured under the Tories before this Government came to power. Although the UK is currently on track to meet Kyoto, if emissions continue to rise it could be a close run thing.

The domestic CO2 alone target reduction of 20% by 2010 on the 1990 base is WELL OFF TARGET. UK CO2 emissions have risen in recent years and are now higher than in 1995. This Government has overseen a rise in CO2 - the single most important greenhouse gas produced by society - and the 5% reduction claimed by Ministers for themselves occured under the Tories.

Whilst there was a long term trend towards lower emissions in several sectors before Labour came to power, that progress has been halted or reversed. Industry CO2 emissions fell fast/steadily until about 2000 but then stopped falling. Domestic CO2 also fell fairly steadily until Labour came to power and is slightly down in recent years but overall is UP since Labour came to power. Other users have flatlined since 2000.

But most worryingly, transport related CO2 has continued its long term rise under Labour (that has occured since 1970 - more than doubling since then). For the first time transport is now the equal largest sector in terms of CO2 emissions.

Douglas Alexander has now announced plans to partially re-regulate the buses, but any positive impact this may have is dwarfed by his commitment to another runway at Heathrow airport and a new runway at Stansted.

Aviation is the fastest growing contributor to climate change and so is a litmus test of any politician's environmental credentials. The Tories, surprise surprise, claim they haven't decided where they stand on this issue, but a stream of government figures and reviews keep reminding us that Labour stand shoulder-to-shoulder with big business on this issue - aviation expansion and unfettered economic growth at any cost.

In contrast the Green Party would use the tax system both to change behaviour and redistribute wealth from the rich to the poor. We do not believe in limitless growth, in part because we recognise that the world has finite resources. We would introduce some eco-taxes, but - unlike other parties - would ensure the revenue raised went directly to providing greener alternatives. Our policy of domestic tradable carbon quotas would be accompanied by a citizen's income - an unconditional, automatic payment to each individual as of right, replacing the unfair benefits system.