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Smoking gun? British ministers criticized fossil-fuel lobbyists for “undermining science”. Credit: ENVIRONMENTAL IMAGES

Britain's new Labour government last week attempted to take the high ground in the climate change debate when it confirmed a pre-election promise to cut UK greenhouse-gas emissions to 80 per cent of 1990 levels by 2010, and announced a cabinet committee to coordinate environment policy across government.

But in a warning shot across the English Channel, government ministers said that the UK greenhouse-gas cuts would be conditional on commensurate reductions from Britain's 14 European Union partners, who have so far collectively agreed only to a 15 per cent reduction by 2010.

There were also harsh words from both John Prescott, the deputy prime minister who has taken on broad responsibilities for environmental issues, and Michael Meacher, the junior minister directly responsible for the environment, about the United States, which has refused to reveal its greenhouse-gas targets.

These announcements have raised the government's stock among environmentalists, who had been sceptical of the Labour party's apparent lack of enthusiasm for environmental issues while in opposition. Greenhouse-gas cuts would come from imposing pollution taxes, promoting energy efficiency, greater use of renewable energy, and a new, ‘integrated’ transport policy that would put more emphasis on public transport.

Both ministers praised conservation bodies for highlighting the threat of global warming, despite being “dismissed as fringe groups”. And they sharply criticized fossil-fuel industry lobbyists for “seeking to deny climate change, and undermining the science”.

Speaking on World Environment Day last Thursday (5 June) in London, Prescott, secretary of state for a super-ministry combining environment, transport and the regions, broke with tradition when he praised his predecessor's attempts to raise the profile of environmental issues. John Gummer, secretary of state for the environment in the Conservative government, was popular among environmentalists for his robust stand on issues such as climate change.

But Prescott said the new government would “go further”. His plans include a new parliamentary environment committee, which would allow members of parliament to scrutinize government environment policy. And he revealed that Britain would field a five-strong team — including the prime minister, the foreign secretary and himself — at the United Nations special session in New York being held in two weeks to review progress since the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.

The previous day, Meacher, a former lecturer in social administration at the London School of Economics, had told a conference organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) that the new government was “committed to leading the fight against global warming in Europe and the world community”. He added: “There is no question that climate change needs to be addressed urgently. It is already happening.”

Meacher pointed out that it was chance, namely the economically driven decision to shut down most of the coal industry, rather than new policies, that had enabled Britain to achieve its targets on greenhouse gas emissions. He added that not enough had been achieved through “positive policies” such as improving energy efficiency in homes and transport. “As a result,” he said, “carbon dioxide emissions will start to rise again in the first half of the next decade, and are projected to be back above 1990 levels by 2005 and go on rising afterwards.”

Meacher said it was important for developed countries to set an example to the developing world, which is not yet committed to making greenhouse-gas reductions, but whose emissions are expected to outstrip those of developed economies within three decades. Meacher said that Britain expected Europe and the United States to show similar leadership.