The Labour Government has pledged to join both opposition parties in promising to bring in green taxes to curb greenhouse gas emmissions with air travel taxes expected to form a central plank of new eco-friendly policies.
The move comes as respected UK economist Sir Nicholas Stern publishes his 700-page report today on climate change that predicted, if left unchecked, it could cost up to £3.68 trillion, 1% of the world’s Gross Domestic Product.
Both Prime Minister Tony Blair and chancellor Gordon Brown have pledged Britain will lead the way in combating climate change, despite concerns from critics that it will have little impact if the UK acts and other bigger polluters like China and the US do not.
Brown will work alongside former US vice president Al Gore, who will ast as an international adviser, and Blair has described the Stern report as the most important of his period in office. Environment secretary David Milliband is looking at a range of new taxes to encourage the UK economy to end its over-reliance on carbon.
Both the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives have already promised to bring in green taxes if they win power at the next election as concern about the pace of climate change and the potentially devastating consquences increases.
For more on this and reaction from the travel industry keep checking travelweekly.co.uk and see Friday’s edition of Travel Weekly.