The UK must undergo a change in mindset at all levels that “has to be so sweeping as to be breathtaking" to tackle climate change...
The United Kingdom must undergo a change in mindset at all levels that “has to be so sweeping as to be breathtaking” if it is to effectively tackle the issue of climate change, said Michael Meacher, Labour MP for Oldham West and Royton.
Speaking at the Insurance Times Climate Change 2007 event, Meacher told delegates that so far climate change measures had been “timid and deficient” and said that the country must unite like it did during World War II against the new threat of the “fossil fuel behemoth”.
Commenting on the findings of the Stern review, and in particular the objective of reducing emissions by between 60% and 80% by 2050 in the developed world, Meacher said that not a single country had yet implemented policies that might remotely meet this target.
While acknowledging that the UK was only responsible for 2% of global emissions, Meacher said that this was not an excuse for failing to take a leading role in tackling climate change, and urged the country to lead by example and by so doing put pressure on other countries to follow suit.
The UK he believed was in a prime position to avail of renewable energy sources with an energy generating potential much greater than that of other European countries from wind farms and tidal energy. However, he highlighted the disappointing statistic that such sources only currently account for 4% of the country's energy production, compared to 20% in Germany. “We must show the way by the boldness of our own actions”, challenged Meacher.
