Prime Minister Gordon Brown has outlined his vision of creating a greener Britain.
Speaking at an event organised by the WWF called “A One Planet Future”, Brown said that a new “green hotline” would be introduced to allow people to seek advice on what they can do to be more environmentally friendly.
This “hotline” would take the form of a new Green Homes Service, which would have a telephone line, website and advice centres. The service is intended to be a single point of contact for people who want a “home energy audit”.
The Prime Minister also suggested that the current target of reducing carbon emissions 60 per cent by 2050 could be raised to 80 per cent.
He also said he would commit the UK to meeting EU targets on increasing renewable energy. The current EU-set target for Britain would require the UK to generate 40-50 per cent of electricity from renewable sources, currently the figure stands at 5 per cent, according to the BBC.
Brown also pledged to take action against one-use plastic bags saying that he was convinced Britain could “eliminate single-use disposable bags altogether, in favour of long-lasting and more sustainable alternatives".
He added that there would be “hard choices and tough decisions” to be made but that a new low carbon economy could bring hundreds of thousands of new British jobs and thousands of new British businesses.
The Green Homes Service will provide advice on saving water and reducing waste along with other measures people can take to cause less harm to the environment.
Brown also announced that in 50 of the poorest areas in Britain, homes would be offered energy efficiency deals and that discounted help would be offered for those selling or buying energy inefficient homes.
The Prime Minister also said that he wished to work with developed countries like Japan and the USA to make a “funding framework” that would help developing countries to “shift to lower carbon growth, reduce emissions from deforestation and adapt to climate change”.
He also said, "While the richest countries have caused climate change it is the poorest who are already suffering its effects."
