Paul Holmes MP tackles the Labour Government's 'warm words' on climate change.

10.00.00am GMT Mon 7th Dec 2009

Commenting on the start of the Copenhagen Climate Summit today Chesterfield MP Paul Holmes criticised the Labour Government's 'warm words' on the need to tackle climate change. Paul said:

"They are keen to agree to targets for reducing Carbon emissions by 2050, safe in the knowledge that no current MP will be around in Parliament in 40 years time to be held to account over this.

"But they recently voted down a Liberal Democrat proposal in Parliament to commit to the 10/10 campaign for a 10% reduction in Carbon output during 2010.

"Their support for a third runway at Heathrow will directly increase Global Warming and the level of Green Taxes on polluting activity has actually fallen.

"Only last week the money for the Warm Front programme ran out with one third of the financial year still to go. Yet insulating the houses of the poorest not only cuts their fuel bills but also cuts winter deaths and cuts carbon emissions too!

"If the Government will not commit to immediate programmes of this kind how can we trust whatever promises for the future emerge from Copenhagen?

"Councils like Chesterfield Borough Council have shown what can be done at a local level with recycling more than trebled in 6 years and initiatives such as photovoltaics and ground source heating built into all new Council buildings. They also persuaded Barratts to incorporate Green measures in 10% of their new houses on the Derby Road site -a first nationally and something that the Government should already have made compulsory for all new buildings as in Germany.

On Saturday 5th Dec Paul Holmes spoke at the start of North East Derbyshire's 'Tearfund Wave Rally' march in Clay Cross and walked at the head of the march through Clay Cross to the meeting rooms where a question and answer session was held. This rally was part of the nationwide campaign that day which also saw major rallies in London and Glasgow.