Chancellor George Osborne today announced the last full budget before the 2015 General Election. And as many predicted, it contained very little to cheer environmentalists.
Commenting on the proposals Friends of the Earth (EWNI)’s Economics Campaigner David Powell said:
“Despite George Osborne’s pledge last month to tackle climate change, it’s dirty business as usual in this year’s Budget.
“Merely weeks after promising action on flooding and global warming, the best the Chancellor can manage is a U-turn on his own reckless flood defence cuts, and caving in to big business lobbying on pollution tax.
“Mr Osborne says he wants to make our economy ‘resilient’, but Britons face paying a hefty price for his failure to confront the reality of climate change.”
Carbon Price Floor
“Freezing the carbon price floor is simply code for letting polluters pollute, while clean industries suffer ever more stifling restrictions.
“The money raised by this tax should be used to help homes and businesses become much more energy efficient – and bring down bills for good.”
Gas and oil extraction
“The Chancellor’s dangerous fossil fuel fixation is storing up huge problems for the future.
“George Osborne’s pledge to extract every drop of oil and gas we can from the North Sea will completely undermine efforts to decarbonise the economy.”
Flood spending
“George Osborne’s self-congratulation on flood spending is ill-founded.
“The ‘extra’ £140m only cancels out previous cuts, while households in storm-battered Britain are picking up the bill for the Government’s negligence.
“And if we want to keep pace with the impacts of climate change, far more must be spent on flood defences.”
