With the publication of Nicholas Stern’s report on the Economics of Climate Change, there is widespread recognition that radical action is necessary to avert the threat of catastrophic climate change.

Transport and energy policy, both major areas of interest for the Creating Sustainable Communities commission, are of course inextricably linked with the discussion on how to protect the environment.

How can we tackle the challenges posed by climate change?

Labour has shown consistent leadership in the field of climate change, at home and abroad, by setting bold targets and pursuing ambitious policies. Stern and the IPCC have given us the evidence on which to act. Labour’s groundbreaking draft Climate Change Bill marks the beginning of a fundamentally new approach for the UK to tackling climate change.

When the Bill passes into law, a radical new system of five-year carbon budgets will be put into place, leading up to a target of a 60 per cent reduction in emissions by 2050. Britain will become the world’s first country to adopt a long-term legal framework for managing the transition to a low carbon economy.

The next stage is to reach out further to the public to build a new national shared consensus for action on climate change – not just to reduce our emissions but to address the impacts of climate change which we will now inevitably experience such as flood risk and coastal erosion.

How do we meet Britain’s long-term energy needs?

In energy policy we face two huge and complex challenges: climate change and maintaining security of supply, in an increasingly unstable world. If we don’t act to reduce carbon emissions from energy-use, they will continue to contribute to the threat of climate change.

Meanwhile our energy supplies are becoming less secure as we enter a period of greater dependence on foreign imports from politically challenging parts of the world alongside the need to replace a third of our power stations in the next 20 years. We must aim to see, in the future, a Britain much more efficient in its use of energy, and with greenhouse gas emissions at a fraction of those today, drawing on a mix of low carbon energy sources. Meanwhile, we must promote domestic energy efficiency. Lower energy consumption generally means both lower CO2 emissions and less expense on electricity, gas and fuel.

How do we meet the transport challenges that face us?

Meeting Britain’s future transport needs is a complex challenge. Communities depend on reliable transport links in order to survive, while businesses need to be able to move goods, and people, in order to thrive. Today we travel further for business or leisure, and expect to be provided with a range of reliable options for making our journeys.

The key challenges in this area are linked to the capacity of our network – our road and rail systems are, at times, affected by demand outstripping capacity, the results being congestion, and public dissatisfaction. Crucially we have to consider the impact of our transport policies on climate change, and look at how we can enable and promote greener travel choices.

Points to consider

• How do we further promote and incentivise both recycling and the reduction of waste produced by households and commerce?
• How do we educate and support families and individuals in reducing their environmental footprint and waste, while removing barriers to sustainable behaviour
• How do we work with business to reduce the environmental impact of products and services, for example by reducing packaging and increasing energy efficiency of electrical goods?
• How do we promote and enable greater household energy efficiency? 
• How do we go on to eliminate fuel poverty in all households completely?