Lucas slammed for voting against climate change measures

8.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 22nd Oct 2009

Lucas slammed for voting against climate change measures

Wrexham Lib Dem candidate and leading Welsh Climate Scientist Dr Tom Rippeth has slammed Wrexham MP Ian Lucas voting again action on climate change in Parliament yesterday.

Mr Lucas joined fellow Labour MPs to vote to defeat a Commons motion calling on the UK Government to demonstrate political leadership ahead of the United Nations summit in Copenhagen this December by committing to cutting its own carbon footprint by 10% by 2010.

Commenting Dr Rippeth said: "Even the Prime Minister admits that the forthcoming UN Copenhagen Climate Change meeting in December is the most important international meeting in a generation.

"It is here that tough decisions will have to be made as to how to reduce the world's carbon foot print - decisions which will affect everybody's lives.

"I am disappointed that Ian Lucas and his Labour colleagues have chosen to vote down this motion which committed the Government to action to reduce its own carbon emissions.

"Once again we see warm words from Labour are not being followed by action!

"As on many other issues such, as bankers bonuses, the Government appear unwilling to lead. It is clearly time for a new government."

ENDS

1) Motion which Mr Ian Lucas voted against (21st October 2009):

That this House believes it is vital that the UK demonstrates political leadership at all levels in response to the climate crisis, and that this is particularly important ahead of the United Nations Climate Change summit in Copenhagen if there is to be an international agreement which will avert the worst effects of catastrophic climate change; further believes that immediate practical responses to the crisis should include a massive expansion of renewable energy and energy efficiency and a commitment for all homes in Britain to be warm homes within ten years; acknowledges that action taken now to tackle the climate crisis will cost less than action taken in the future; notes the declared support of Labour and Conservative frontbenchers to the objective of the 10:10 campaign which calls for 10 per cent greenhouse gas emission reductions by the end of 2010; agrees that the House will sign up to the 10:10 campaign; calls on Her Majesty's government and all public sector bodies now to make it their policy to achieve a 10 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by the end of 2010; and further calls on the government to bring a delivery plan before this House by the end of 2009 on how these objectives will be achieved.

2) In 2012 the Kyoto Protocol to prevent climate changes and global warming runs out. To keep the process on the line there is an urgent need for a new climate protocol. At the conference in Copenhagen 2009 the parties of the UNFCCC meet for the last time on government level before the climate agreement need to be renewed.