ITEM CA11 CABINET – 15 MAY 2007 CLIMATE CHANGE BILL – CONSULTATION LETTER Report by Head of Sustainable Development Introduction 1. The UK Government released a Draft Climate Change Bill for consultation in March 2007. This Bill is the first of its kind in any country and builds on the recommendations of the Energy Review, Climate Change Programme and the Stern Review published in 2006. Through this Bill the Government hopes to introduce a clear, credible, long-term framework for the UK to achieve its goals of reducing carbon dioxide emissions and ensure steps are taken towards adapting to the impacts of climate change. 2. Recommendations on this consultation are being put to Cabinet for comment and approval following the significant steps the Council has taken in recent months towards both reducing carbon emissions and adapting to a changing climate. This consultation provides the opportunity for Cabinet to comment on national policy at an early stage and pursue the corporate priority of actively making our contribution to the global challenge of climate change, in this case, beyond the county boundaries. Overview of the Draft Climate Change Bill Aim 3. The draft Climate Change Bill is intended to set out a framework for moving the UK to a low-carbon economy. By ‘low carbon economy’, the Government means achieving reductions in domestic carbon dioxide emissions of at least 60% by 2050 from 1990 levels. The Climate Change Bill will make this target legally binding for the Government. 4. By putting targets into statute the Government hopes to: · demonstrate leadership by example to help foster collective international action; · create a clear and coherent framework for meeting domestic and international commitments; and, · provide clarity and certainty for UK industry, households and individuals to plan and invest in a low carbon economy. Objectives 5. Alongside this target, the Bill details the mechanisms by which the Government hopes to achieve the long term target. Key elements include: · A new system of legally binding five year “carbon budgets”, set at least 15 years ahead, including regulations around the role of traded carbon credits and budget flexibility mechanisms. · A new independent statutory body, the Committee on Climate Change, to provide advice and guidance to Government on achieving its targets and staying within its carbon budgets. · New powers to enable the Government to more easily implement policies to cut emissions. · A new system of annual reporting to Parliament. The Committee on Climate Change will provide a progress report to which the Government must respond. This will ensure the Government is held to account every year on its progress towards each five year carbon budget and the 2020 and 2050 targets. · A requirement for Government to report at least every five years on current and predicted impacts of climate change and on its proposals and policy for adapting to climate change. Comments on the Draft Climate Change Bill 6. The Council should welcome the Bill as a key move by central Government to set down clear targets to reduce domestic carbon dioxide emissions. As a Council that is actively pursuing this challenge locally, we encourage initiatives in this area that will encourage similar action by industry, business and householders across the UK. 7. This Council has made a commitment to reduce carbon emissions from our own property and activities by 18% between 2005-06 and 2011-12. This is an ambitious target which will require the type of strong leadership and robust monitoring and reporting framework to which the Bill alludes. The Bill does not appear to commit the UK Government to doing the same. 8. There appear to be two main areas of weakness of the draft Climate Change Bill to which the Council might respond as follows: (a) endorse the proposal for the UK to move to a system of carbon management based upon statutory carbon budgets. However, budgetary periods should be a maximum of three years, rather than the proposed five year period, to ensure that targets are always kept within the short term perspective of the Government and action is not delayed. (b) disagree with the proposal that borrowing between budget periods should be allowed. ‘Disguising’ the level of achievement for a budget period would not only distract attention from seeking solutions to difficult challenges which may need to be overcome in the future, but would also act as a disincentive for early action. As highlighted in the Stern Review, early reductions will result in much lower overall emissions and therefore be a more effective tool in the fight against dangerous climate change. RECOMMENDATION 9. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to endorse the comments on the draft UK Climate Change Bill as outlined in paragraphs 6 to 8 of the report. CHRIS COUSINS Environment & Economy Background papers: Draft Climate Change Bill. Contact Officer: Nita Robertson, Environment Programme Manager, Tel (01865) 810 421. May 2007
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