Government ‘lacks ambition’ on transport pollution

NEWS: An important report by MPs says the government’s attempts to reduce pollution from transport do not go far enough.

The House of Commons environmental audit committee questions whether Tony Blair and his colleagues “appreciates the magnitude and urgency” of cutting carbon emissions – epolitix.com reports.

And its report also calls for more money to:

build wind farms off the coast

cut council tax for environmentally friendly homes

develop hi-tech ways of reducing the harm of carbon by taking it out of the atmosphere and storing it safely.

The chariman of the committee, Conservative politician Tim Yeo, says government research shows that cabon dioxide emissions from transport will be no lower in 2050 than in 1990.

This is despite targets to cut emissions as a whole by at least 60 per cent over a similar number of years.

Mr Yeo (left) accused the government’s Department for Transport of a “lack of ambition”.

He also called for changes in taxes to encourage people and businesses to do things which help the environment, such as:

increasing environmental, transport and air travel taxes

encouraging cars to emit less carbon and use lower amounts of fuel.

Pictures: www.sxc.hu (main) and www.timyeo.org.uk