UK Partners Cutting Greenhouse Gases

UK Partners Cutting Greenhouse Gases



   
April 2007 - Eight large British 
companies have joined with Prime Minister Tony Blair to 
introduce a campaign that will provide consumers with products 
and services that make it easier to reduce greenhouse gas 
emissions. 
The campaign, called "We're in this Together" will provide 
both ideas for behavioral change and practical solutions to 
help consumers reduce their household emissions by one metric 
ton over three years. 
"I fully support this inspiring and groundbreaking campaign," 
Prime Minister Blair said at the launch event on Monday.
 Prime Minister Tony Blair backs the new climate change 
initiative. 
"The government will continue to give a lead in tackling 
climate change both at home and internationally to reduce 
emissions globally. By working together - as individuals, 
businesses and nations - we can meet this challenge and 
safeguard our way of life and our planet." 
Environment Minister David Miliband said, "Climate change 
doesn't discriminate. Whether you're a business, a government, 
or an individual, it is a threat to us all and therefore a 
challenge for us all. I believe that collectively we can meet 
this challenge." 
Formed as a deliberate response to research showing that 
people feel powerless when faced with the challenge of climate 
change, the campaign is spearheaded by The Climate Group, a 
nongovernmental organization created to act as a catalyst 
between business, state and civil groups to tackle climate 
change. 
Dr. Steve Howard is CEO of The Climate Group. 
Dr. Steve Howard, CEO of The Climate Group said, "Today marks 
an unprecedented commitment from some of the UK's favourite 
brands to help their customers tackle climate change. These 
brands have come up with new and innovative ways to make it 
easier to save energy, from watching TV, insulating roofs and 
insuring cars, to washing our clothes and lighting our homes."
 In a demonstration of support, retailers, banking, media and 
service providers from across the UK have united behind this 
initiative. Companies onboard now include B&Q, Barclaycard, 
British Gas, Marks & Spencer, O2, Royal & SunAlliance, BSkyB 
and Tesco, with HSBC and National Express set to join later 
this year. 
The coalition also reaches outside business with active 
support coming from the Energy Saving Trust, the National 
Consumer Council, The Church of England, and the Department of 
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Defra. 
Dr. Richard Chartres, Bishop of London, said, "The Church of 
England is officially committed to cutting the carbon. Since 
the launch of the Church's Shrinking the Footprint campaign 
more and more congregations are seeing the connection between 
caring for God's creation and embracing a greener way of life.
 The Bishop of London Dr. Richard Chartres backs the new We're 
in this Together initiative. 
"One fresh contribution," said Dr. Chartres, "is the 
publication today of a practical guide for individuals 
entitled 'How many lightbulbs does it take to change a 
Christian?'" 
The campaign, building over three years, aims to reach every 
UK household by continuing to increase the number of brands in 
the partnership, and the number of initiatives offered to 
consumers. 
If every UK household takes up the campaign initiatives, there 
is a potential saving of 25 million metric tons of carbon 
dioxide, CO2 - more than the combined emissions of Scotland 
and Wales. 
Partners will provide either products, services or advice for 
consumers to facilitate the reduction of their household 
emissions. These initiatives will be brought together on 
www.together.com where the collective reduction in emissions 
will be calculated, intermediate targets established, and 
people given access to information on how they can take part. 
Environment Minister Miliband said the government is 
introducing a new CO2 calculator later this spring that will 
enable individuals to calculate their personal CO2 footprint 
and provide suggestions for the action they need to take to 
reduce it. The Climate Group will help test the calculator. 
The government will also establish a code of best practice for 
offsetting that will enable people to make informed choices 
about the most effective offsetting products on the market. 
The government is making its buildings more energy efficient 
with biomass boilers, solar panels and wind turbines and 
already is offsetting all air travel by ministers and 
officials. 
Cars parked at the Gateshead Metrocentre Mall. The driving and 
shopping choices people make can either increase or decrease 
climate warming. 
"We have committed to reduce CO2 emissions from road vehicles 
and to lead the way in reducing CO2 emissions from the 
government car fleet," said the environment minister. 
Every secondary school in the country is being rebuilt and 
refurbished and, as part of this, £110 million over the next 
three years will go into helping them reduce their CO2 
emissions, in some cases making them carbon neutral. 
These actions are backed up by a new Climate Change Bill that 
will lay the foundations for moving the UK to a low carbon 
economy. 
The bill sets out a series of targets for reducing carbon 
dioxide emissions - including making the UK's targets for a 60 
percent reduction by 2050 and a 26 to 32 percent reduction by 
2020 legally binding. 
A public consultation on what the new climate law should 
contain ends in June. 
But Friends of the Earth points out that UK carbon dioxide 
emissions rose again in 2006 and are now higher than they have 
ever been since Blair's Labour Government came to power 2.7 
percent above 1997 levels. 
UK carbon dioxide emissions in 2006 were 1.2 percent higher 
than they were in 2005. 
British householders are being asked to reduce their 
greenhouse gas emissions. 
Still, The Climate Group says that proactive companies, 
states, regions and cities around the world are demonstrating 
that the cuts in greenhouse gases required to stop climate 
change can be achieved while growing the bottom line. 
The effectiveness of their campaign will be measured in two 
ways. 
The aggregated carbon savings as a result of consumer uptake 
of partner solutions will be measured using calculations 
developed by the Energy Saving Trust, 
www.energysavingtrust.org.uk. This NGO aims to cut emissions 
of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas causing climate 
change, by promoting the sustainable and efficient use of 
energy. 
The Climate Group will also track behavioral change by means 
of an expanded version of their existing tracking study called 
the Climate Conscious Consumer. 
The Climate Group is an independent, non-profit organization 
that works to accelerate the international uptake of corporate 
and government best practice in emissions reduction. 
http://theclimategroup.org/ 
The group has offices and charitable status in the UK, the 
United States and Australia and is expanding into India and 
China in 2007. 

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