Climate Change Bill [HL]

moved Amendment No. 36: 36: Clause 5, page 3, line 23, at end insert— ““( ) for the budgetary periods including the years 2015, 2020, 2030 and 2040, must be such that the annual equivalent of the carbon budget for the period is lower than the 1990 baseline by at least any percentage that may be recommended by the Committee on Climate Change and approved by a resolution of both Houses of Parliament;”” The noble Earl said: The amendment is directed at the part of the Bill relating to interim carbon budgets. It is part of our general strategy to ensure that it is the committee’s recommendation, approved by Parliament, that is setting the targets. The amendment seeks to further the committee’s role in target setting by placing the responsibility of setting the general framework and progress within the committee. The process of setting targets for carbon reductions requires a dual approach, focusing on both the short and the long term. The annual rolling targets and the yearly milestones are essential for monitoring the short-term progress, yet these are created with an eye on meeting the interim targets which are to be the scaffolding on which our progress hangs. It is thus very important that the long-term outline for fighting climate change comes from the committee. Any changes to the interim target should come from the scientists on the committee and also be subject to parliamentary approval. These targets are important. It is likely that meeting the interim targets will be the most public indication of a Government’s success or failure in tackling climate change. Thus it is essential that they are realistic and authoritative. Having the committee set them achieves this result. It is essential to provide a genuinely independent yardstick by which we can measure the effectiveness of government action. Thus the amendment ensures that the interim targets are set in a way that squarely removes politics. My noble friend Lord Brooke of Sutton Mandeville noted on the first day in Committee that he had the accidental fortune of taking credit for the miracle that the British Library opened in 1998. I agree with him that it is difficult for a Secretary of State at any particular moment to be charged with a responsibility that spans 20 or 40 years. However, if these interim targets are set independently and publicly and are tethered to the short-term milestones, it might go some way to having a mechanism to ensure that the long-term targets have real meaning and we will be able to assess a particular Secretary of State’s performance. This must be done in conjunction with reports that not only list the status of carbon counts but also provide an assessment of the measures that have been implemented to reduce emissions. We have tabled amendments to this effect. I beg to move.