Climate Change Bill [HL]

I endorse much of what my noble friends Lord Turner, Lady Young and Lord Whitty said, as well as some comments made by the noble Lord, Lord Teverson. It does not matter to the world very much whether this clause exists or not. In principle, provided those reductions that are certified are indeed legitimately made, it does not matter globally. But it certainly does matter for the UK, both from the point of view of moral leadership and for the positioning of our industry. I would add that if we are doing this in the interests of supporting British industry and positioning it better for a low-carbon world, we need to do this in a considered and gradual way, so that British industry is not dually disadvantaged by comparison with its competitors in Europe. We believe that in the long term, this would be an advantage. But a lot of industry lives on a quarter by quarter, year by year basis. It would be important not to impose burdens that would unduly disadvantage them in the short term. I am sympathetic to the view of the noble Lord, Lord Teverson, that this is not entirely a matter for the climate change committee. It is a matter of broader government policy, basically positioning the country as a whole. Whereas the climate change committee’s views would be of interest and importance here, it is a government decision.