Citizens' Climate Lobby UK

Tag: EU ETS

  • Campaign: government consultation

    Campaign: government consultation

    Respond to the Government consultation on the best way to tax fossil fuels

    The Government is currently consulting on carbon pricing, in other words, the best way to price the burning of fossil fuels out of our economy.

    The more emails they receive by 11th July, the more likely they are to take notice

    What to do:

    Email [email protected], and copy in your MP

    Include in your email:-

    • Who you are – a concerned citizen, a business owner, a business representative, an organisation or group?
    • That carbon fee and dividend, as a carbon pricing policy, could cut greenhouse gas emissions by 33 percent in nine years.
    • It would protect poor and middle income households and boost the economy.
    • This would make a huge contribution to Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions, much more effective than sticking with the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.
    • Finish with your name, who you represent if applicable (eg business, organisation, charity) and your home address and, if applicable, your work address

    The consultation closes on 11 July 2019.

    We want a much harder-hitting fee on fossil fuels than we already have (petrol duty/road tax/EU ETS) and we can’t do this without a dividend to soften the blow on low and middle income families in particular.

    The more emails they receive at [email protected] – from individuals, activists, charities, business owners, etc, YOU! – the more chance we will have for a carbon fee that really cuts down emissions.

  • What happened to the UK Carbon Price Floor?

    The Carbon Price Floor was introduced in 2013 in order to ensure that the price on carbon in the UK remained in line with our decarbonisation targets – the carbon price the EU Emissions Trading Scheme was delivering wasn’t (and still isn’t) high enough.

    The original target was to achieve a price of £30 per tonne of carbon dioxide in 2020 with a starting price of about £16 per tonne.

    However in the 2014 Budget the Government announced that prices would be capped at £18 per tonne from 2016 to 2020 to “limit the competitive disadvantage faced by business and reduce energy bills for consumers.”

    This decision came after concerted lobbying by business and industry.

    The Confederation of British Industry was a major player in this lobbying effort.

    Rhian Kelly, the CBI’s director for business & environment explained in 2013 that “British business supports an ambitious but credible EU-wide emissions reduction target…” and that

    “This must be underpinned by long-term reform of the EU ETS, creating a robust carbon price across Europe – thus making the UK’s Carbon Price Floor a redundant backstop – with improved provisions to protect vulnerable industries.”

    This was – and still is – misleading equivocation.

    We need policies that demonstrate the UK is taking a leadership role in the EU decarbonisation effort.

    Without the cap on the CPF the UK would be in a stronger position to drive forward the long term reform of the EU ETS.

    The cap on the CPF demonstrates the power that industry has to stall action on climate change at policy level.

    What can be done to ensure UK climate policy is protected from lobbying by business and industry?

    We need to challenge the business/industry lobby and ensure our voices are heard in support of decisive action on climate change by policymakers.