At the moment the Government’s Recovery Plans are on the front pages, if you were unable to do so during the Time is Now lobby why not  take this opportunity to email your MP to ask why the Government doesn’t want to adopt CF and D when it can see the benefits (see news June 4th and June 12th).  Also consider writing a letter to your local media or favourite national paper, (see Action section). You may find a current article on either the recovery plan or other ’green issues’ as a hook you can respond to. Here is an example of a response to an article in the Independent on a poll on ‘going green’….The letter wasn’t published, why not see if you can break the stranglehold of letters on the pandemic and get yours in a paper!

In Millions of Britons cannot afford to ‘go green’ poll claims Emma Elsworthy reports that 59% of 2000 adults said their budget would not allow them to be any ‘greener’. Government policies such as the Climate Change Levy and Green Deal have ‘fuelled’ this assumption but there is a policy which would make ‘going green’ a no brainer for businesses and consumers. 

This policy, Carbon Fee and Dividend or ‘Climate Income’, places escalating fees on fossil fuel extraction, rendering renewable energy comparably cheaper. Import fees on fossil fuels or products will ensure they won’t undermine the market. The income derived from the carbon fees would go directly to the populace as a ‘dividend’. It has already been adopted in Switzerland and Canada, and is being considered seriously by many countries around the world. 

Our Government in its recent report The Future of UK Carbon Pricing acknowledges the merits of the policy but does not propose to adopt it at this time, preferring to continue with an emissions reduction policy, despite acknowledging that: 

Placing a price on carbon creates the incentive for emissions to be reduced in a cost effective and technology-neutral way, while mobilising the private sector to invest in emissions reduction technologies and measures.

With all the current talk of kick starting the economy, building greener and supporting those hardest hit by the pandemic, the time is now to ask the Government to reconsider! For further information and to join our campaign see: https://citizensclimatelobby.uk

Let’s keep up the pressure, make people more aware of the potential of Climate Income  and keep your MP on his toes!

Catherine Dawson

13/7/20