Business needs certainty to achieve a low carbon economy
April 23rd 2007 If we are to move to a low carbon economy in the near future then we must have the Government on side says Peter Ainsworth MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Speaking at the npower Low Carbon Economy Forum at the London Stock Exchange, Ainsworth admitted it may seem, “odd for a Conservative to say that we want more Government intervention - but we need it. The technology already exits in many cases so the Government’s role is not to interfere and micro-manage, but to offer broad based support.”
Mr Ainsworth spoke of his party’s desire to change the climate change levy to a carbon levy because that is what we want to reduce. “A tax on energy doesn’t work,” he said, “dealing with climate change tax pain misery is not a way to take people with us on this”.
He reiterated the point that we need to get a move on. “We have as little as 10 years to act before we reach a tipping point. I’m optimistic about this, humanity's ability to adapt and be creative is infinite, but resources are not. Greed drives the desire for short term gratification but the survival instinct is also quite strong. This generation is going to have to confront this issue,” declared Mr Ainsworth.
The recent npower Business Energy Index suggested that 80% of SMEs thought that reducing CO2 emissions was not a priority issue for their business and over 40% thought it never will be. Mr Ainsworth said that “they are wrong”. “If we trash biodiversity then we will deny future generations the same opportunities that we have had. It is a social and economic problem that we must solve. We are all in it together or we will perish together”.
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