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june 2008 We must live within our meansHilary Benn MP presents the thinking behind his radical shift in politics and groundbreaking bill to cut carbon emissions in the UK
Climate change will affect all of our futures. Indeed, it is clear that climate change is already having an impact. The UN estimates that all but one of its emergency appeals in 2007 were climate-related. Climate change can also exacerbate conflict, for example in Darfur shifts in rainfall have brought tensions over grazing land between nomadic and settled herders.
Perhaps most shocking of all however, is that the World Health Organization estimates 150,000 people are already dying each year from climate change. That’s the equivalent of a town the size of Brighton or a country the size of French Guiana slipping into the sea each year.
I have seen the impact that climate change is already having in countries such as Bangladesh, Malawi, Sudan, and Somalia. As secretary of state for international development, I visited a place called Wajid in Somalia. Eleven thousand people had moved there because it had stopped raining where they had been living. Their homes were the most pitiful shelters I have seen in my life - made of turned over twigs covered in scraps of clothing and plastic taken from the town rubbish tip. They were at the mercy of the climate – and were simply waiting for rain.
Research by Oxfam has found that the average Somali is about 100 times more likely to die from events caused by climate change than the average American, despite emitting roughly 16,000 times less carbon. The developed world grew rich through burning fossil fuels, which in turn caused global warming. It is our absolute responsibility to tackle this issue and to help developing countries to do so while not undermining their growth.
So just as eradicating poverty is about social justice, so is tacking climate change. Firstly because it affects the poorest people the most, and secondly because climate change has the potential to undermine development, and therefore take away the fastest route out of poverty. As last year’s Human Development Report shows, development will go into reverse if we don’t face up to climate change.
High and sustained developmental growth in successful Asian countries has led to the greatest number of people being lifted out of poverty in human history.
Because of this, the number of people living on less than a dollar a day dropped over the last 20 years from 1.5 billion to 1.1 billion - an incredible achievement especially given that the world’s population grew by 1.6 billion during that time. China alone lifted 400 million people out of extreme poverty.
We need to find ways to encourage growth that don’t harm the environment, because development without action on climate change will not be sustainable. This means that the old model of high carbon development that all the major economies have taken so far, has had its day. We need to take the lead on finding a new model of growth.
In the UK we have succeeded in breaking the link between economic growth and growth in emissions. Between 1997 and 2006 our economy grew by 47 per cent while greenhouse gas emissions fell by almost 7 per cent This shows what is possible, and opens up a conversation with developing countries.
We have introduced our radical Climate Change Bill, which I will shortly be bringing before the House of Commons. This represents a unique commitment by the government to a legally-binding, long-term framework of targets for cutting emissions. We are the first country to propose this and the eyes of governments around the world are on this legislation.
Our ultimate target is currently planned as a 60 per cent cut in emissions by 2050, with the possibility that it will be increased to 80 per cent. To ensure we meet our targets we will be introducing carbon budgets to the UK – and this is the truly groundbreaking point. As a nation, just as we need to live within our financial means, now we will be bound to live within our carbon means. If emissions are going up in one part of the economy, they will have to come down somewhere else.
This process will put the environment at the heart of every decision the government makes. Every new policy will have to be judged against its carbon cost. This isn’t just a radical shift in the way we deal with carbon emissions. It is a radical shift in the way we do politics. I see it as a way of drawing together all of our individual and collective action as one effort, towards one goal.
After all, governments can set targets, improve regulations and work towards a new international agreement, but it is up to each and every one of us to do our bit.
Over 40 per cent of the CO2 emissions in Britain are the direct result of actions and decisions that we, as individuals make, each and every day. Decisions about how we use energy to heat and power our homes, how we travel, and what we buy.
I am optimistic. Ninety-eight per cent of us say we know about climate change. Four out of five say they are concerned about it. The majority of people are already taking action, whether by recycling – which has quadrupled over the past decade – changing their light bulbs, or turning the thermostat down a notch.
In government we are trying to help these changes in behaviour – whether by setting up new schemes to help people insulate their homes or by providing practical, free advice on energy efficiency via funding a new Act on CO2 advice line. The number is 0800 512 012. I encourage you to give them a call and see what simple steps you can take to cut your emissions.
Of course we cannot halt the process of global warming solely by our actions in the UK, but we can achieve two things. First, we can play our part in cutting global emissions, and second, we can send out a message to the world to say: “I will if you will – so let’s get on with this together”. And this is crucial if we are to achieve a strong new international agreement to tackle climate change.
The world’s faith communities will have a central role to play in inspiring and fostering ethical action. Faith connects people with something larger than themselves and the act of faith is something common to all peoples. This view of the world is vital to the fight against dangerous climate change. And for the sake of future generations it is a fight that we must win.
The Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP is secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs.
This article is continued in the June 08 edition of Reform.
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