MPs face Commons green test

11.07.32pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 19th Oct 2009

Plymouth's MPs should vote to sign the entire public sector up to the 10:10 campaign. It's time for action to cut carbon emissions.

Plymouth MPs Linda Gilroy and Alison Seabeck are being challenged to vote for a House of Commons motion that will commit Parliament, Government and whole public sector to cut carbon emissions by 10 per cent next year.

The motion was tabled by the Liberal Democrats and will be debated on the floor of the Commons and voted on by MPs on Wednesday [21st September].

The 10 per cent cut is inspired by the 10:10 climate change campaign, launched earlier this year. Over 35,000 people, 1,200 businesses and 850 organisations, such as schools and councils, have already signed up. Each one of them has agreed to cut their emissions by a tenth in 2010.

The city's Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidates, Dr Judy Evans and Stuart Bonar have challenged the Labour MPs to join Lib Dem parliamentarians in voting for the climate change motion.

If passed, the motion would have a massive effect on the country's carbon emissions. The NHS, for example, is Europe's largest employer and the largest public sector emitter of carbon dioxide. Added to that, the government-owned land covers 2 per cent of the entire UK landmass.

Commenting, Lib Dem prospective parliamentary candidate for Plymouth Sutton & Devonport, Dr Judy Evans, said, "We need action now to combat climate change. There has been a shameful lack of action from Labour, with a push for a third runway at Heathrow, as well as new nuclear and dirty coal power stations."

Her colleague, Stuart Bonar, who covers the new seat of Plymouth Moor View, added, "And the Conservative-run council needs to get its act together too. I challenged council leader Vivien Pengelly to support the 10:10 campaign back in early September. So far, I haven't heard anything back from her, not even an acknowledgement. Whether that's down to laziness, incompetence or just sheer indifference about our environment, I don't know."