Tearfund is disappointed by the announcement in the Queens Speech that the Climate Change Bill will only propose targets of ‘at least 60 per cent’ carbon dioxide emissions cuts by 2050.
The latest science tells us that in order for the UK to play its part in keeping global temperature rise as far below two degrees as possible, the 2050 target should be for at least 80 per cent emissions cuts.
The government held a far reaching consultation earlier this year. Thousands of supporters from Tearfund and members of the Stop Climate Chaos coalition, as well as scientists and expert bodies on climate change, made representations pressing for cuts of at least 80 per cent by 2050.
Three parliamentary committees scrutinised the bill in the summer and all commented that the target of 60 per cent was too low.
Tearfund is dismayed that the government appears not to have listened to the weight of evidence demanding a higher target, and will continue to campaign for the inclusion of a target of at least 80 per cent.
It is difficult to see how the government can negotiate for a global deal demanding cuts by industrialised countries aimed at keeping global temperature rise below two degrees, while failing to set targets that will deliver these cuts in the UK.
To find out more by reading Tearfund’s comment on the government’s Command Paper on the Climate Change Bill click here.