Climate Change Bill - Helen’s view

Posted by Helen Heathfield, JB Energy Management Team

The Climate Change Bill is due to become law this month, and with it a legally binding commitment to reduce UK carbon emissions by 80% from 1990 levels by 2050. I’ve typed that sentence, re-read it, and it’s amazing to me how far we’ve come in the last 5-10 years. Government action of this sort was unimaginable in 1998. There have also been staggering U-turns on the contents of the Bill in the last month – going from 60% reduction to 80%, and including aviation and shipping. These changes are largely due to sustained campaigning – I’ve certainly been emailing my MP – and it’s a good time for self-congratulation! Now we just need to wait until it gets Royal Assent and we have the Climate Change Act, due any time now.

What are the implications of the legislation and what do we still need to look out for? The impacts of the Bill all depend on what the Government puts in place to ensure (enforce) reductions. It’s difficult to imagine how Government can hope to achieve the necessary reductions without confronting the biggest challenge of all: human behaviour. This must mean that some form of personal carbon permit will be required – a sort of credit card for carbon that you use whenever you buy something. This could lead to all sorts of choices becoming clearer: you might look at your carbon statement alongside your bank statement, compare savings of both,  and decide to insulate your house,  or cycle to work.  You could also plan ahead so that if you want to fly to Australia next year you need to eat less New Zealand lamb this year, or Israeli avocados.
And the music industry is not immune and making positive purchasing choices (cd’s, tickets, merchandise) will become easier as carbon information becomes clearer.

Before I get carried away, it’s important to remember the risks in the Bill. It’s unclear how annual and five year targets might be enforced, how aviation and shipping will be included, and the latest science suggests we need 90% cuts by 2030 … that’s 9% per year. That’s the key that Government just aren’t getting – the urgency and scale – and they’re not communicating the urgency and scale to the public either. We’ve all got a role to play, in making reductions and inspiring others, just because it’s the right thing to do.
If you want to know more contact me, Catherine or Alison at Julie’s Bicycle and we’ll see if we can help.
In the meantime keep cool,
Helen