§ Mr. Simon ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what action 471W his Department (a) has taken and (b) intends to take to address the environmental impact of using oil as an energy source. [137220]
§ Mr. MeacherThe Government are taking action to tackle climate change by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, including those from the use of oil and other fossil fuels as an energy source. The climate change programme, which will be published shortly, will outline the scale of the challenge facing the UK and make clear that emission reductions of 60-70 per cent. or more are likely to be needed globally in order to avoid dangerous climate change. The programme will set out the policies and measures that will begin to move the UK towards a low carbon economy. And it will detail how the Government intend to help and assist the development of new, sustainable and renewable technologies.
One area where oil is still used as a primary energy source is in the transport sector. The Government are taking forward a range of policies that will improve the fuel efficiency and emissions performance of vehicles, encourage people to buy smaller, cleaner and more fuel-efficient cars, and stimulate the development and use of alternative fuels and technologies. The Government are also addressing the environmental impact of traffic growth through the Ten Year Plan for transport and planning policies.
The use of oil as an energy source can also have serious air quality impacts. The Government and the devolved Administrations published the Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in January 2000. This sets out a programme of action that will be taken at international, national and local levels to tackle air pollution from all sources. In the transport sector, the fuels that are used today are significantly cleaner than those used only a few years ago. This is largely the result of progressively tighter European fuel quality standards, but is also due in part to our incentivisation of the use of cleaner fuels (such as ultra-low-sulphur petrol and diesel) across the UK through favourable duty rates. This has led to significant reductions in emissions of the most harmful air pollutants. We will continue to play an active role in discussions at a European Union level on the possible further tightening of vehicle and fuel standards.