Fixing everything, really slowly

Keen readers will recall this posting from last year about the petition to “levy a tax on energy inefficient light bulbs so that their long term financial and environmental cost is visible in their retail price”. I’ve just got an email telling me of the governments response: (my comments in line)

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn has written the following message exclusively for people who recently signed petitions on the No10 website about climate change.

Why not share it more widely Hilary?

Mr Benn highlights the UK Government’s commitment to seeking international agreement on a post-2012 climate change framework, and encourages petitioners, their families, and friends, to use the new CO2 Calculator.

Message from Hilary Benn

I understand that you recently signed a petition on the No10 website about climate change.

As Government, business, and the public, we all need to work closely together to tackle climate change. Climate change poses the most urgent challenge to humankind - a challenge that threatens not only the environment but international peace and security, prosperity and development.

That is why the UK Government is committed to seeking international agreement on a post-2012 climate change framework and is showing leadership on how we can build the low carbon economy that such an agreement will promote. Our Climate Change Bill, for example, will make the UK the first country in the world to put our commitment to reduce emissions by at least 60% on the statute book. And the Prime Minister recently announced that we will ask the Climate Change Committee, once it is established, to review this target to see if it should be even higher.

I hope you will feel that the Bill demonstrates that the UK takes its responsibilities for reducing global emissions seriously. This challenge is for all of us as individuals too. That is why the Government is helping people to act on reducing CO2 emissions. Given your interest in this issue, I thought I would bring to your attention the Act on CO2 Calculator that is now available on Directgov: www.direct.gov.uk/ActOnCO2 (new window)

You can use the calculator to work out your own carbon footprint, and to obtain recommendations about how you can help tackle climate change.

I hope you will find this useful and that you might think about recommending it to your family and friends. As the carbon calculator has recently been launched, we would also appreciate your comments, using the feedback link on the site itself.

Finally, we are looking at ways in which we can keep people up to date with developments on climate change, and would like to do more using the web and e-mail. If you would like to receive e-mail messages and alerts on the issue in future, please click here and complete the form (if you cannot access this link, please type https://qbaseprojects.co.uk/defra/survey.asp?id=7 into your browser).

If you do provide your details, they will be used sparingly and solely for the purposes of communicating with you about climate change.

Thank you for your interest in this vital issue.

Best wishes

Hilary Benn

Secretary of State, Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Ok, Hilary thanks for the message, it seems like you’ve ignored the request of the petition and simply used this an a chance to market your online CO2 calculator. Don’t get me wrong I’m all for the mesaures you’ve highlighted, but you haven’t acknoledged the subject of the petition or explanined whether you think it is a good or bad idea, whether you think it is feasable etc.

Thanks for nothing!

This entry was posted on Monday, October 15th, 2007 @ 5:39 pm on the category Environment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.