15th November 2005

Tony Blair’s ‘hot air’ on climate change is exposed in the EU announcement this week that it plans to take the UK to court over our failure to implement a directive designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions (i). Mr Blair has repeatedly called for concerted EU action on climate change, yet ignored this directive that was supposed to come into force three years ago.

Labour has presided over a period of rising – not falling – CO2 emissions. Under Gordon Brown green taxes have actually gone down and road building and massive aviation expansion are still being pushed forward.

The Economist Nicholas Stern warns us that tackling climate change is the only way to preserve our ability to pursue economic growth. Infact the reality is just the opposite: our single-minded pursuit of economic growth will render us incapable of tackling climate change.

Our current consumption and production patterns are killing people – and it can only get worse. The price of inaction will be measured in lives lost, not pounds spent. Many thousands around the world are already paying the price in famine and drought for our lifestyles in the affluent West.

Locally we applaud Stroud District Council's Environment paper and for them at last listening to those of us who have campaigned on these issues for many years. We also applaud The Citizen's coverage of this as it has been great opportunity to raise awareness of the most important issue of our time. We all know it is time for action not just more words. Greens hope to ensure that is what we get.

Cllr Martin Whiteside, Hillside, Claypits Lane, Lypiatt, Stroud
Stroud Green Party Parliamentary Spokesperson


Note:

(i) The directive requires the Government to label public buildings on an A-G scale of energy efficiency, with the aim of cutting greenhouse gas emissions.