Blair and Brown and climate change

British enviros worry Gordon Brown won't be green

Posted by Lisa Hymas at 2:30 PM on 11 Sep 2006

Read more about: Gordon Brown | politics | United Kingdom

With British PM Tony Blair on his way out sometime in the next year -- though he won't be pinned down on a date -- Chancellor of the Exchequer (aka Finance Minister) Gordon Brown is poised to assume leadership of the Labour Party and hence the British government. What will this mean for the environment? The British press is starting to assess.

Sarah Mukherjee of BBC writes that greens haven't been impressed with Blair's follow-through on efforts to fight climate change, but they're "even more worried about Gordon Brown":

[Green groups] say he doesn't "get" climate change, and they feel he's taking an interest only because [conservative leader] David Cameron has made it such a big issue.

They welcomed extra money for green energy in the budget this year, but, they say, it was only a start.

When green push comes to economic shove, many are wondering how keen the chancellor will be to burnish his environmental credentials, and risk unpopular measures like taxing airlines or significantly increasing road tax on gas guzzling cars.

For story: Blair and Brown and climate change
4 Comments | Post a Comment

More oil money!

That's always the answer, isn't it. More public petrodollars will inspire state-kept expressors of environmental concern to still greater insincerity in their opposition to carbon-burning -- or it would, if such a thing were possible.

--- G. R. L. Cowan, former hydrogen fan
Burn boron in pure oxygen for vehicle power

by GRLCowan at 2:40 PM on 11 Sep 2006

Stop Climate Chaos.

I think the UK Government should find the way to stop climate Chaos.

by eteChSupport at 10:00 AM on 12 Sep 2006

Too Little, Too Late

In Brown's last budget he finally succumbed to pressure to place vehicle tax on SUVs but left it at a miserable GBP40 per annum; as petrol costs nearly 4 pounds a gallon, this is a pittance.

As if this isn't enough, he kowtowed to middle class voters by agreeing to continue with Britain's new independent nuclear deterrent, trident.

The good news is that Brown hates to travel outside the UK, so that might reduce the governments ecological footprint a tad.

This is more than can be said for David Cameron, who went to Norway to see the impact of Gloabl Warming on retreating glaciers... by Private Jet!

D'Oh!

by seamusenright at 6:55 AM on 13 Sep 2006

World Wildlife Fund agrees:

The WWF has also criticised Tony Blair for not having followed through on his environmental credentials:
UK Government has abandoned its target for reducing emissions

by Newsquoter at 6:37 AM on 15 Sep 2006

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