Ed Miliband, who was officially responding to the Committee on Climate Change’s first annual report on carbon budgets under the Climate Change Act.

The report published earlier this month, stated the recession was the only reason the country was on track to meet targets in the committee’s first carbon budget period because of the impact of the recession.

Chair of the committee, Tim Yeo MP, said at the time: “At the moment, we are only on track to meet the targets in our first carbon budget period because of the impact of the recession.”

Speaking yesterday (January 14) Mr Miliband said Britain stood to gain not only from ‘a green jobs revolution’, but from measures to help people cut the amount of energy they use.

He said: “Government will not rely on the reduction in emissions brought about by the economic downturn to meet its climate targets.

“To reinforce this, any over-achievement in the first carbon budget due to the recession will not be carried forward to allow for higher emissions in the future.

“The recession will not deflect the Government’s efforts to cut emissions and move to a low carbon economy.

“We will not let up on the fight against climate change, instead we must redouble our efforts at home and internationally so the UK emerges from the global downturn building on the opportunities and benefits a low carbon future will bring.”

Luke Walsh

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