Government action
Governments have never before had to face such a task and are failing to give it serious consideration.
After the 1992 Earth |
Britain, along with other industrialised nations which signed the Climate Convention, is committed to stabilise its CO2 emissions in the year 2000 on 1990 levels. It is an easy target, which Britain will meet - but it is nowhere near enough.
After 2000, emissions are projected to rise although the policy of the new UK Government is for a 20% cut by 2010. The Government has not even admitted that fossil fuel use will need to be curtailed.
After the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio, the former Prime Minister John Major said: 'The UK must ... show that we will act at home. The environmental buck stops in our backyard.'
Yet in its own backyard, the Atlantic Frontier, the UK is encouraging the search for new oil.