The call was made by EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation in its response to the consultation on the Draft Climate Change Bill which closed today.
Commenting, EEF Head of Environment, Gareth Stace, said:
“Industry supports the introduction of a long-term framework for climate change policy. This will enable business to plan and invest with a greater degree of certainty over the future level of caps on emissions and the pace with which they are introduced.
“However, an accurate understanding of the technical and economic factors involved in setting such long-range targets is not possible several decades ahead. As a result, the UK must maintain a flexible approach to its targets to adapt to changes in scientific, economic and political circumstances.
“Government should also commit to regular reviews to ensure that we do not adopt a ‘go it alone’ policy. Failure to do this will not deliver on the environment and could leave UK businesses which operate in internationally competitive markets left out on a limb. Ironically, it could also ensure that the UK achieves its climate change targets by displacing manufacturing industry to countries with no such targets or controls on emissions.”
Circumstances which might warrant a review of the targets include significantly slower or faster technological development than anticipated and changing economic circumstances.
Furthermore, EEF believes that reducing domestic carbon emissions by 60% will require a concerted effort across society and a major transformation of the economy (e.g. significant de-carbonisation and improved energy efficiency in electricity supply, transport, industry and domestic housing.)
EEF also gave its backing to the setting up of the Committee on Climate Change, believing an independent body able to pass impartial advice, but not set policy, is vital to ensure that carbon policy is as cost effective and environmentally relevant as possible.
In particular, EEF believes the Committee, which must be made up of technical experts rather than stakeholder groups, has a key role to play in assessing the balance of effort from all sectors of the economy in terms of abatement potential. This will ensure that each sector of the economy makes respective contributions to reducing emissions and that environmental objectives are achievable and cost effective.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
EEF’s was responding to the government consultation on the draft Climate Change Bill which closed today, 12 June
EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation is the representative voice of manufacturing in the UK with a federation of 11 regional Associations, UK Steel and ECIA, the Engineering Construction Industry Association. The EEF has a growing membership of almost 6,000 companies of all sizes, employing some 900,000 people from every sector of engineering, manufacturing and technology.