Climate Change Bill [HL]

moved Amendment No. 7: 7: Clause 1, page 1, line 6, leave out ““60%”” and insert ““80%”” The noble Lord said: We come to targets. The Joint Committee on the draft Bill was aware that the important thing at the end of the day is not to meet a 50, 60, 80 or 100 per cent carbon reduction by 2050 but to address the issue of all the tonnes of carbon that will be put into the atmosphere between now and 2050. That is what affects the climate, not meeting a 60 or 80 per cent carbon reduction by 2050. Although that issue is included in the Bill in terms of carbon budgets, it is very difficult to refer to thousands of tonnes of carbon being put into the atmosphere as a target within the Bill’s objective. We agree that there should be targets but it is important that they should be realistic and that they fulfil the objectives of the legislation. I believe that the 60 per cent target was set by a Royal Commission some years ago. We are all aware that the climate change science and our understanding of how global warming works have progressed hugely since then, and, indeed, since the draft Bill was published earlier this year. The IPCC itself has said that to keep within the limit of 2 degrees centigrade on a global basis we shall probably have to reduce carbon emissions across all nations by some 50 per cent by 2050. We believe that to achieve a fair and equitable solution for developed nations that figure needs to be something in the order of 80 per cent. There are three ways of approaching the 60 per cent target in the Bill. Either we can decide to take out the target altogether and do what the Government suggest later in the Bill, which is to ask the committee to come back in a few months—I cannot remember the timescale—to give us a scientific, authoritative, well considered litmus test, as it were, of what we believe the target should be, so that we can agree to that target in due course. Alternatively, we can stay with 60 per cent. Frankly, that is the worst option. Putting in what everyone accepts is the wrong figure would be wrong not only for the United Kingdom but also for our position globally. The third option is for us to put in the figure that we feel is, given that this is not an exact science, most realistic and most likely. We believe that 80 per cent is the right figure to put in the Bill. To back up my arguments, I quote two prominent Labour Party members. The first is the Prime Minister, who said in his 19 November speech that, "““the evidence now suggests that, as part of an international agreement, developed countries may have to reduce their emissions by up to 80 per cent””." The other is the Mayor of London, who, "““supports an amendment to the Bill to reflect the 80 per cent 2050 target at the very outset””." We believe that it is important to have a target. That target needs to be realistic and the best understanding at this time is that 80 per cent is such a target. The other concern—this is a correct theme of the Government—is that the business community, which has to deliver a huge proportion of this commitment, has to have a degree of certainty. However, there is almost a guarantee of uncertainty in the 60 per cent target. Keeping a target until the Committee on Climate Change has been appointed, considered the evidence and come back within the time constraints would actually delay a decision. There is much greater certainty if we go for a realistic and a best figure now. Again, I applaud the Government’s wish to lead globally on the targets, but that lead can be preserved only if we have a target of 80 per cent in the Bill now. I beg to move.