HL Deb 20 July 1998 vol 592 c80WA
Earl Attlee

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they still intend to honour their commitment to a 20 per cent. reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2010; and, if so, whether they will publish their plans with projected annual reductions and the assumptions that these projections are based on. [HL2721]

Baroness Hayman

The Government retain their aim of reducing carbon dioxide emissions to 20 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2010. Our first priority must be to make sure that we achieve the legally binding target of a 12.5 per cent. reduction in greenhouse gas emissions which we agreed to in the EU following the United Nations' Kyoto climate change conference.

This summer we will be consulting on policy options for meeting our legally binding target and moving beyond that towards our domestic aim. Later this year the Government intend to publish new energy projections on which our new climate change programme will be based.