28 November 2005Fiona Harvey, Environment Correspondent
The Co-operative Bank has calculated that by taking actions such as buying energy-efficient appliances, solar panels, mini-wind turbines and using public transport, people spent an average of £140 per household in 2004, amounting to about £3.4bn. This represents a 21 per cent increase on 2003.
Paul Monaghan, head of sustainable development for Co-operative Financial Services, said government should take note. "People are showing they are prepared to take action. This sends a strong signal to government that they could be more robust in their approach to climate change."
Sales of energy-efficient appliances went up by 23 per cent last year, while expenditure on microgeneration - generating electricity from mini-wind turbines and solar panels attached to houses - increased threefold to £23m.
These types of appliance help to curb greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the amount of electricity that needs to be generated from fossil fuels, such as oil, gas and coal.
The Co-op also found in a survey that one in 10 people used public transport for environmental reasons. Two-thirds of consumers said they considered the environmental impact of their spending when making purchasing decisions, up from 55 per cent last year.
If the government was to show willingness to tackle climate change, next week's pre-Budget report will be crucial, said Friends of the Earth, the environment lobby. Though Gordon Brown has identified climate change as a critical long-term challenge, he has tended to mention the problem only rarely in public.
Friends of the Earth said to tackle climate change, the chancellor should increase road fuel duty and the climate change levy in line with inflation, and use the revenue to improve public transport. He should also introduce a zero-rated tax disc for the most energy-efficient cars, and a higher rate for less efficient models.
The pressure group urged Mr Brown to reform the incentives for householders to invest in microgeneration, by cutting value added tax on some appliances and providing stamp duty and council tax rebates on low-carbon homes. There should also be new incentives for large-scale renewables, such as offshore wind, wave and tidal energy, and a tax break for farmers using renewable energy equipment.
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/c00df552-5fb3-11da-a628-0000779e2340.html
