Ministers ordered to assess climat cost of all decisions
Government says new ‘carbon price’ will favour eco-friendly policy choices” goes the title of a front page article in todays Guardian, (Sat, 22/12/07).
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/dec/22/climatechange.carbonemissions
The second sentence of the article, by Patrick Wintour the Guardian’s political editor, goes onto say, “Ministers have been instructed to factor into their calculations a notional “carbon price” when making all policy and investment decisions covering transport, construction, housing, planning and energy”.
The article says that the carbon price will start at 25.50 pounds for 2007 and then rise. The implications for decisions are described by the UK’s climate change minister, Phil Woolas (they have had one for years), as, “If for instance a new power station is due to cost £1bn, but it will add £200m worth of carbon emissions, we will decide that the cost of the power station is £1.2bn, even though its cash price is £1bn. We are creating a new currency”.
As to whether there is much wiggle room or its just rhetoric this was the way it was going to be implemented according to the article, “It has also been agreed that every major Whitehall policy and investment decision will be monitored over the next year to check that policymakers are actually incorporating the shadow price of carbon”. However given the slippery skills of Canberra’s madarin cousins over in Whitehall it will be interesting as to whether they will embrace it or defeat it with, “that’s a brave decision minister…….”.