Fourth Carbon Budget statement
18 May 2011 (updated on 18 May 2011)
Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Chris Huhne, made a statement to the House of Commons on Tuesday 17 May on the Fourth Carbon Budget.
The statement outlined the Government's proposal to set a target in law to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with the advice from the independent Committee on Climate Change.
Carbon Budgets
The 2008 Climate Change Act set a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the UK by at least 80% from 1990 levels by 2050. A 'carbon budget' is a cap on the total quantity of greenhouse emissions emitted in the UK.
The first three carbon budgets run from 2008-2012, 2013-17 and 2018-2022. The fourth carbon budget, which sets the limits on emissions for the five-year period from 2023-2027, has to be set in law by the end of June 2011.
Watch and read the statement and views expressed by MPs on Parliament TV and in Commons Hansard. Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change responded to the Statement on behalf of the Opposition. Find more current parliamentary material on Climate Change in the Topics section on the Parliament website.
Oral statements
Oral statements are made after Question Time (or at 11am on a Friday). Statements normally relate to matters of policy or government actions. At the end of a statement, MPs can respond or question the government minister on its contents.