The British Parliament on Thursday published the Climate Change Bill, the first of its kind in the world, setting out a framework that will put Britain on the path to become a low-carbon economy.
The landmark legislation sets out plans to tackle climate change for the next 50 years, with clear, legally binding targets to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by at least 60 percent by 2050, and 26 to 32 percent by 2020, against 1990 levels.
The bill also provides a pathway to achieve those reductions through a system of five-year carbon budgets set fifteen years ahead, which would give investors and policy makers certainty and direction.
"This bill is a landmark in environmental legislation and will set us firmly on the path to the low-carbon economy we know is fundamental to our future. We need to provide the framework that will give Government, businesses and individuals a clear idea of how we're going to tackle climate change," Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said.
"We also need to show the world that we're taking decisive action within our own borders, particularly ahead of the crucial talks in Bali next month where we want to launch formal negotiations on a comprehensive future climate deal that involves every major country on earth. "
"This Bill shows the world that we're serious, and that we're not asking other countries, and in particular poorer countries, to do what we're not willing to do ourselves. This is vital to our ambition to get a future deal agreed by the end of 2009," Benn said.
The Committee on Climate Change, a new statutory body proposed in the bill, will be charged with investigating whether the 2050 target needs to be strengthened further.
The committee will provide an independent progress report to which the Government must respond, to ensure the Government is held to account every year on its progress towards each five-year carbon budget and the 2020 and 2050 targets.
The government must report at least every five years on current and predicted impacts of climate change and on its proposals and policy for adapting to climate change.
Source: Xinhua
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