That this House believes that climate change is the most serious long-term threat requiring co-ordinated action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at global, European and domestic levels; welcomes the Government's commitment to introduce a climate change bill in this session to strengthen the UK's efforts to tackle this crucial issue, putting into legislation a long-term target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and establishinga framework and new enabling powers for achieving this; welcomes consideration of credible and effective targets, annual reporting and an independent body, the Carbon Committee, to work with the Government to reduce emissions as part of a comprehensive programme including carbon markets, regulation, planning, incentives and fiscal measures which will lead to carbon budgeting and a low carbon economy; and looks forward to an open and inclusive debate on the Government's detailed proposals in early 2007 based on effective outcomes rather than political gestures.
"Most of the observed increase in global average temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations." IPCC 2007 Summary for Policymakers, pg 5.
"Although there remains uncertainty in many aspects of climate science, as in all science, over the past few years an overwhelming and well-founded acceptance has emerged, not only in the scientific community, but among the general public and in political arenas, that human activity, and in particular the burning of fossil fuels, is warming the planet. Far from the debate being over, with this awareness the discourse on climate change has largely moved from one of questioning the science to disputing what ought to be done about the problem." Sir John Houghton in Nature
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