South Tyneside

Get tough on flying and stop us frying

South Tyneside Friends of the Earth has welcomed local MP Stephen Hepburn's backing for a Parliamentary motion which calls for the Climate Change Bill to have more ambitious targets and to include international aviation emissions. Jarrow MP Stephen Hepburn has signed up to Early Day Motion 736, which states that the Bill needs "improving as its targets were not ambitious enough, and international aviation emissions were excluded, meaning that even if the Bill were applied to every developed country, global temperature would rise well beyond the two degrees Celsius limit and perhaps as high as four or five degrees".

An increase of two degrees is seen by scientists of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as having severe negative impact on humanity and possible 'feedback' greenhouse gas emissions by the planet in response to the heating. Five degrees could mean mass extinctions.

Bryan Atkinson, FOE spokesperson said:

"Getting the Climate Change Bill into Parliament is one of Friends of the Earth's recent success stories. Unfortunately the execution of the Bill has been fudged. The targets are based on out of date information so are too low, and international aviation emissions were excluded from the Bill altogether.

"Local MP Stephen Hepburn has recognised these weaknesses in the Bill and has given his backing to Early Day Motion 736. We need South Shields MP David Miliband, who introduced the Bill to Parliament, to give similar robust and public support.

"In campaigning for a strong Climate Change Bill we ask everyone to email or write to their MP, and we would encourage everyone to join in FOE's online Climate Change march at www.thebigask.com. Join John Gummer, Bill Oddie, Jude Law and over 170,000 other concerned people in calling on government for a strong climate change law.

"Time is running out. The more we delay the more we risk our future. We have an opportunity to strengthen the Climate Change Bill and take firm action on global warming. There is no plan B - the alternative to taking action is no less than planetary suicide."

notes

1. Early Day Motion736.

2. The Big Ask climate change march: http://www.thebigask.com/

The Big Ask calls for a strong climate change bill to:

- reduce emissions every year so the UK reaches a target of at least 80 per cent cuts by 2050
- include annual targets so politicians can't blame preceding Governments for missed targets
- include emissions from international aviation and shipping

3. South Tyneside FOE online

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