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Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Bill

I note that the Bill’s principle purpose is to consider the effects of climate change and the United Kingdom’s contribution to it, so I want to dwell for a moment on the opening comments of the hon. Member for Edinburgh, North and Leith (Mark Lazarowicz) and the point raised in an intervention about the Government’s strategy. The hon. Gentleman has been quoted as saying that there is a worrying trend that the UK will struggle to meet the 20 per cent. reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2010, and that he wants the measure to help the Government to get on track. He recognises the disappointment that many people feel about the Government’s approach. My hon. Friend the Member for Salisbury (Robert Key), who is no longer in his place, referred to some scepticism in his local authority area about whether climate change was happening and whether it was being driven by man-made effects. The science is clear that climate change is happening and that it is being affected by man’s intervention, but there is a point that gets less coverage. I am grateful to my right hon. Friend the Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Mr. Forth) for drawing to my attention the very excellent report of the House of Lords Select Committee on Economic Affairs entitled, ““The Economics of Climate Change””, which I have had the opportunity to study in detail. The Select Committee draws attention to the fact that although climate change no doubt exists, the conversations about it and policy making are very much focused on the environment and science and have, to date, paid much less attention to the costs of climate changes and of the many measures that can be taken to deal with it.