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| Bosses urge climate change action | Bosses urge climate change action |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A number of UK business leaders have called for "urgent and comprehensive" measures from the main political parties to tackle climate change. | A number of UK business leaders have called for "urgent and comprehensive" measures from the main political parties to tackle climate change. |
| The Prince of Wales's UK Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change said "deep and rapid" cuts were needed in greenhouse gas emissions. | |
| The group includes the bosses of Tesco, BAA, Shell and energy group E.ON. | The group includes the bosses of Tesco, BAA, Shell and energy group E.ON. |
| Greenpeace accused some of those involved of "hypocrisy of a previously unknown magnitude". | Greenpeace accused some of those involved of "hypocrisy of a previously unknown magnitude". |
| In a letter to the three major party leaders, the business leaders urged them not to allow fears of an economic slowdown to divert them from forging a cross-party consensus on policies to cut emissions. | |
| They wrote: "We now urgently need cross-party effort to develop a comprehensive package of policy measures to change every major sector of the economy." | They wrote: "We now urgently need cross-party effort to develop a comprehensive package of policy measures to change every major sector of the economy." |
| Reduce costs | Reduce costs |
| They said "incremental change" would be insufficient to deal with the threat of climate change. | They said "incremental change" would be insufficient to deal with the threat of climate change. |
| Action would benefit business by stimulating the economy and reducing costs associated with a changing climate, they added. | Action would benefit business by stimulating the economy and reducing costs associated with a changing climate, they added. |
| But Greenpeace communications director Ben Stewart said: "It's astounding that E.ON would call for action on climate change when they're agitating to build Britain's first coal-fired power stations in decades. | But Greenpeace communications director Ben Stewart said: "It's astounding that E.ON would call for action on climate change when they're agitating to build Britain's first coal-fired power stations in decades. |
| "It makes an environmentalist's jaw drop to see the BAA logo on this letter when they're trying to expand airports across the nation." | "It makes an environmentalist's jaw drop to see the BAA logo on this letter when they're trying to expand airports across the nation." |
| Details of the letter come a day after a leaked document showed the UK government wants the right to buy its way out of half its CO2 reduction targets. | Details of the letter come a day after a leaked document showed the UK government wants the right to buy its way out of half its CO2 reduction targets. |
| The government says EU nations should be allowed to trade away 50% of their emissions reductions - up from the 30% currently allowed by the European Commission. | The government says EU nations should be allowed to trade away 50% of their emissions reductions - up from the 30% currently allowed by the European Commission. |
| Officials said the details needed finalising but the deal would help clean energy projects in developing countries. | Officials said the details needed finalising but the deal would help clean energy projects in developing countries. |
| Environmental groups said some of the schemes would have gone ahead anyway. | Environmental groups said some of the schemes would have gone ahead anyway. |