Earth Equity News

British Government Pledges to Cut Carbon Emissions by 80% by 2050. By Deborah Summers and Damian Carrington, London Guardian, October 17, 2008. "The government today committed the UK to cutting greenhouse-gas emissions by 80% by the middle of the century in a bid to tackle climate change. In a move that was widely welcomed by environmental campaigners, Ed Miliband, the new energy and climate change secretary, said that the current 60% target would be replaced by the higher goal in the climate change bill. Miliband told MPs that the tough economic conditions were not an excuse to "row back" on the commitment to tackle global warming. He accepted the recommendations of the government-appointed Climate Change Committee, chaired by Lord Turner, which said last week that the UK ought to commit to an 80% reduction from 1990 levels for all greenhouse gases and covering all sectors. He also pledged to amend the energy bill to create 'feed-in tariffs', allowing small-scale energy producers -- such as homes with wind turbines or solar panels -- to sell electricity at a guaranteed price."