John Redwood

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Redwood quizzes Prime Minister on why Carbon Emissions are Rising in the UK & Europe whilst falling in the USA

The Rt Hon John Redwood MP asked the Prime Minsiter yesterday in the Commons why carbon dioxide emissions had risen in both the UK and the EU in 2006, whilst falling in the USA. He also asked what the government intended to do about this.

He asked the question to draw attention to the big gap between what the UK and EU governments say and what they do. He said: “They imply that they are taking climate change much more seriously than the USA and they are doing much more, yet the results show that their efforts have not worked so far.”

The PM acknowledged the problem but said the EU emissions trading scheme would sort it out. The scheme was in operation in 2006, so it clearly did not solve the problem then, whilst the US without a carbon trading scheme managed to reduce emissions. John Redwood will be asking follow up questions on the plans to change the carbon trading scheme for 2008. The present scheme gives extra profits to polluting companies, by allowing them to sell excess permits they may be given for cash. It does not succeed in reducing total carbon outputs, so it is a costly bureaucratic structure which so far has produced no worthwhile results.

The only policy the UK has followed in the last 20 years which has reduced carbon output was electricity privatisation. This led to a big switch from coal to gas gneration, which cut carbon output substantially. It is this Conservative success which means the UK will hit its Kyoto targets. This government has so far made no positive contribution to cutting CO2.