§ Lord Juddasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have studied the proposals made by the Africa Group for an agreed programme to ensure that, after a transitional period, no nation emits more than its fair share of a safe global limit for greenhouse gas emissions and what their response will be at the Third Climate Change Convention in December.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Baroness Hayman)The Government recognise the importance of long term reductions in emissions taking into account issues of equality and the need for developing countries to develop their economies and combat poverty. The proposals of the Africa Group merit consideration as one of a number of approaches to the long term control of greenhouse gas emissions. In the meantime we believe that developed countries must take the lead and agree at Kyoto to making legally-binding significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions after 2000. The EU proposal for a 15 per cent. reduction in emissions by 2010 provides the best way of achieving this.