Tories move toward church position on climate change
-25/11/04
A surprising alliance bet
Tories move toward church position on climate change
-25/11/04
A surprising alliance betweeen churches and the Conservative party may emerge after Tories criticised the Government for failing to take climate change seriously and ìposturingî instead of providing international leadership.
Shadow environment secretary Tim Yeo said a failure to act more decisively was damaging the economy, environment and quality of life.
Speaking during the third of six days of debate on Tuesdayís Queenís Speech, he warned: ìSo far on climate change the Government has been all talk.î
His speech follows the launch by churches in October of Operation Noah, which aims to show how the Gospel calls people to care for creation. The campaign is asking churches and individuals to petition local councils, MPs, and world leaders to protect the climate.
The campaign was formally launched at the Rainbow Pilgrimage in Coventry on the 9th October.
It also comes after a new coalition, including Christian Aid, World Vision, Tear Fund, ActionAid and Operation Noah, saw leading environmental and development charities come together for the first time to highlight their joint concern about the serious impact that global warming is already having on some of the worldís poorest communities.
Tim Yeo however did not focus on the impact of climate change on the poorest in the world, but on the impact on the UK.
ìThe failure of ministers, from the Prime Minister, downwards to tackle these challenges with the urgency needed is damaging our economy, our environment and the quality of life of every man, woman and child in the countryî he said.
Carbon emissions, which were falling under the last Conservative government, had risen during the first six years of Labour, the shadow environment secretary said.
ìUnless there is an urgent policy change, there is now no chance that Britain will meet its targets for cutting carbon dioxide emissions.î
He accused the Prime Minister of failing to use his ìunique relationshipî with President Bush to influence US policy on climate change.
The US, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, withdrew from the Kyoto protocol in 2001, saying it would gravely damage the US economy.
Earlier this month, a former top foreign policy adviser to PM Tony Blair, who is now adviser to Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, also criticised the US for not signing the climate treaty. Sir Stephen Wall suggested that environmental disaster is a greater global threat than terrorism.
Churches however publicly welcomed Russia’s backing of the protocol.
During the debate on the Queen’s speech, Mr Yeo also accused the Government of a ìlacklustreî approach to home energy efficiency ñ another key aspect of climate change.
Tories move toward church position on climate change
-25/11/04
A surprising alliance betweeen churches and the Conservative party may emerge after Tories criticised the Government for failing to take climate change seriously and ìposturingî instead of providing international leadership.
Shadow environment secretary Tim Yeo said a failure to act more decisively was damaging the economy, environment and quality of life.
Speaking during the third of six days of debate on Tuesdayís Queenís Speech, he warned: ìSo far on climate change the Government has been all talk.î
His speech follows the launch by churches in October of Operation Noah, which aims to show how the Gospel calls people to care for creation. The campaign is asking churches and individuals to petition local councils, MPs, and world leaders to protect the climate.
The campaign was formally launched at the Rainbow Pilgrimage in Coventry on the 9th October.
It also comes after a new coalition, including Christian Aid, World Vision, Tear Fund, ActionAid and Operation Noah, saw leading environmental and development charities come together for the first time to highlight their joint concern about the serious impact that global warming is already having on some of the worldís poorest communities.
Tim Yeo however did not focus on the impact of climate change on the poorest in the world, but on the impact on the UK.
ìThe failure of ministers, from the Prime Minister, downwards to tackle these challenges with the urgency needed is damaging our economy, our environment and the quality of life of every man, woman and child in the countryî he said.
Carbon emissions, which were falling under the last Conservative government, had risen during the first six years of Labour, the shadow environment secretary said.
ìUnless there is an urgent policy change, there is now no chance that Britain will meet its targets for cutting carbon dioxide emissions.î
He accused the Prime Minister of failing to use his ìunique relationshipî with President Bush to influence US policy on climate change.
The US, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, withdrew from the Kyoto protocol in 2001, saying it would gravely damage the US economy.
Earlier this month, a former top foreign policy adviser to PM Tony Blair, who is now adviser to Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, also criticised the US for not signing the climate treaty. Sir Stephen Wall suggested that environmental disaster is a greater global threat than terrorism.
Churches however publicly welcomed Russia’s backing of the protocol.
During the debate on the Queen’s speech, Mr Yeo also accused the Government of a ìlacklustreî approach to home energy efficiency ñ another key aspect of climate change.