Environmental Campaigners congratulate Lynne Featherstone MP - Initiative will help to engage people in measures to deal with Climate Change

12.00.00am GMT Tue 2nd Aug 2005

The Sustainable Energy Partnership (SEP) today congratulated local MP Lynne Featherstone for signing House of Commons Early Day Motion No: 3911. The Motion recognises that climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing the planet today and calls for new initiatives such as microgeneration to deal with the issue.

At a time when emissions of CO2 are rising and the government is not on track to meet its targets microgeneration2 is 'the new kid on the block'- it would help reduce fuel bills, emissions of CO2 and it will also engage consumers in averting climate change - the greatest issue facing the world.

The EDM supports two Private Members Bills3 by Mark Lazarowicz MP and Dr Alan Whitehead MP designed to help combat climate change by:

· Setting targets and introducing policies to promote microgeneration

· Requiring reports to parliament on steps to reduce emissions and

· Establishing a renewable heat obligation4

Ron Bailey, Parliamentary Adviser to SEP said, "We congratulate Lynne Featherstone for supporting these two Bills and being in the forefront of new steps to combat climate change and look forward to their continuing support for the Bills".

Lynne Featherstone MP said: "Because of the threat of climate change I am glad to be able to support these two Bills which will introduce important new polices to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide. I look forward to these Bills becoming law and will do all I can to assist with that objective. Climate change is with us: we must all do all we can to deal with this problem".

Further information from: Ron Bailey, Parliamentary Adviser 07951 761229

Notes to editor:

1. House of Commons Early Day Motion No: 391 reads: That this House believes that climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing the world today and so views with concern the continuing increase in emissions of carbon dioxide; believes that new initiatives are needed to deal with these problems; therefore welcomes the introduction with cross-party support of the Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Bill and the Management of Energy in Buildings Bill by the honourable Members for Edinburgh North and Leith and Southampton, Test respectively; and notes that these Bills taken together would require the Prime Minister to report annually to Parliament on greenhouse gas emissions, require the Chancellor of the Exchequer to implement a fiscal strategy to promote energy efficient microenergy generation, require targets to be set for microgeneration, introduce a number of policies to help achieve those targets including the granting of permitted development status and the use of building regulations to ensure that new building will include a minimum standard for energy generation, introduce a renewable heat obligation requiring utility companies to supply heat from renewable sources, and would also facilitate the development of small community based sustainable energy schemes.

2. Microgeneration is the generation of energy by individual or small groups of householders

3. The Bills are The Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Bill introduced by Mark Lazarowicz MP and the Management of Energy in Buildings Bill introduced by Dr Alan Whitehead MP

4. There is a renewable heat obligation on utilities to supply heat generated from renewable sources