Euro MP Fiona Hall urges Brown to go for 80% carbon emissions reduction

9.00.00am GMT Thu 22nd Nov 2007

Fiona Hall, Liberal Democrat Energy Spokesperson in the European Parliament, has urged the Prime Minister to set an ambitious target of 80% for the reduction of the UK's carbon emissions.

On Monday this week, Gordon Brown hinted more strongly than ever that he was considering increasing the UK commitment to cut carbon emissions by 2050. Up until now Gordon Brown has come under criticism because of his failure to set meaningful green targets. However, in something of a retreat, Brown admitted that he has asked an independent committee to examine increasing the UK pledge from 60% to 80% by 2050.

Commenting after the Prime Minister's speech, Fiona Hall MEP said:

"At last we might be seeing more than just words from this Government. They might actually be hearing the cries for immediate and extensive changes in government policy.

"It is recognised globally that anything short of an 80% target for 2050 is meaningless in terms of having an effect on the climate change process."

However, the North East Member of the European Parliament also voiced concerns that the Government might turn to nuclear power to try and achieve its targets.

"New nuclear power stations could not come on stream fast enough to have any effect on emissions in the crucial years up to 2020. Nuclear is so expensive to build that it drains resources from all other alternatives and then has to be run flat out, which seriously skews the energy supply mix. We need sources of energy that run compatibly with each other and do not leave an eternally dangerous legacy of waste."

Gordon Brown has said a decision will be made on nuclear power in the New Year.