Alok Sharma, President of COP26, has acknowledged the findings of the newly published  Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC) report, stating that the world will soon face “catastrophe” from climate breakdown if urgent action is not taken.

In the past few months, certain members of the UK Government, including Local Council officials, have seriously been discussing and considering a Carbon Fee and Dividend policy as implemented in British Columbia and Switzerland in 2008, and Canada in 2019.

Last year members of Citizens Climate Lobby UK, part of a worldwide organisation which campaigns for this form of carbon pricing, contributed to the BEIS consultation on The Future of UK Carbon Pricing. The subsequent report (p.38-39) acknowledged and recognised the merits of Carbon Fee and Dividend as a well-designed scheme having both social and environmental benefits, equitably distributing the revenues and stimulating investment in low carbon technologies.

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.

It is now imperative that Alok Sharma and his team at the BEIS announce and bring in appropriate measures to adopt a Carbon Fee and Dividend policy in advance of the forthcoming COP26.

Our UK Government have already shown how quickly and professionally they can act during the current Covid outbreak to offer vaccinations to the entire population here in Great Britain.

Bold, effective and efficient action therefore needs to be urgently implemented and delivered to tackle Climate Change measures and Global Warming issues which are now being seriously acknowledged to be greater worldwide problems than the current pandemic. 

Now is as good a time as any for a follow up email to your MP – supporting Alok’s concern and the need for the UK as Presidency of COP 26, to adopt Climate Income and argue for it as  the fair and effective way to decarbonise on the world stage that is COP26.

Richard Day

Citizens Climate Lobby

13th August 2021