MPs in climate bill revolt over aviation emissions

The government is facing a back-bench revolt over plans to leave aviation and shipping out of the UK’s targets for cutting CO2 emissions.

New climate change and energy minister Ed Miliband last week commmitted the UK to cutting CO2 emissions by 80 per cent by 2050. But aviation and shipping are not included in that target, with the government planning to offset those emissions because of what it claims is the difficulty in accounting for international emissions from those sectors.

Friends of the Earth criticised the move to let aviation and shipping emissions be dealt with voluntarily outside the Bill. Executive director Andy Atkins said:

“The Committee on Climate Change made it clear that we have to reduce all carbon emissions by 80 per cent.  We cannot leave the cuts in aviation and shipping emissions to chance. The Government must listen to the concerns of the public and majority of MPs who want to see a law that covers all the UK’s emissions.”

With the House of Commons due to vote on the Climate Change Bill next week Edinburgh South MP Nigel Griffiths has tabled an amendment that would include aviation and shipping.

That amendment now has the backing of more than 50 Labour MPs, which would be enough to defeat the government.