Lord Smith urges the UK Government to make it easier for business and people to go green and calls on them to lead by example with a comprehensive programme of measures to green buildings and transport.

His proposed package of green measures includes:

• Making electricity carbon-free by 2030. Including renewables, nuclear and a clear timetable to for carbon capture and storage;
• Setting an example to business by ensuring all public buildings are fitted with solar or photovoltaic (PV) panels and that new buildings are fitted with ground-source pumps. Public land should be used, where possible, for wind power generation;
• Electrification of all ground transport so that it no longer relies on fossil fuels;
• Development of a full-scale, comprehensive, nationally publicised programme to fit better insulation and provide improved energy efficiency to people’s homes. Government should make green home improvements hassle free.

“A Green New Deal must be a central part of the economic recovery package that is being put in place to beat the credit crunch. Government, in deciding on how to tackle the current economic problems we are faced with, needs to take the opportunity to address the even greater environmental problems at the same time,” says Lord Smith.