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A properly “tuned” carbon tax could eradicate extreme poverty worldwide, lifting more than a billion people above the global poverty line, a report has found.Economists at the think-tank Autonomy say the charge on emissions could be used to pay a dividend to people around the world by taxing polluting activities while helping stop climate change.Under the grand proposals, 3.8 billion people worldwide would see their income increase by at least 10 per cent, bringing around a billion people over the conventional poverty lines of $3.2 and $5.5 a day.At a UK level the tax and divided scheme would benefit 70 per cent of the population, with the top 20 per cent effective contributors to the scheme. People would be charged more activities like burning fossil fuels or buying polluting products, but would also be given a regular income in the form of the dividend from the tax.Under the proposals, the costs of driving 1000km with an average petrol car would increase by £19, while the costs of a high-end smartphone would increase by around £8.70.But for most people these costs would be offset by the dividend payment they got out of the scheme, with only those biggest polluters paying more than they get out.Economists have long discussed a carbon tax as a means of getting people to change their behaviour, but the new analysis –based on World Bank Data – shows how it could also redistribute wealth if properly constructed.It is not clear how such a scheme could be introduced worldwide at the same time, but the authors of the report say time is running out to stop runaway climate change and that leaders need to get their act together.It is hoped that the scheme encourage people to make less polluting choices while maintaining their livelihoods, a problem with some approaches to climate action.Some UK right-wingers like Nigel Farage are campaigning against reaching net zero carbon, arguing that it will impose too many costs. Scientists say reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 at the latest is a requirement to avert catastrophic climate change in the coming decades. The UK’s Committee on Climate Change has said investment in green energy the best way to bring down bills and that new fossil fuel drilling will not help.Philipp Frey, co-author of the paper, said the dividend pay-out component was “crucial” so that the tax did not hit the poorest.“A carbon tax and dividend scheme would constitute a massive economic incentive towards greening the economy, driving out the consumption of carbon-intensive goods while maintaining livelihoods”, he said. “This report makes a compelling case for governments to look at taxing the rich to help save the planet from climate change and tackle poverty rather than making ordinary people pay for the climate crisis.“We don’t have long left to tackle climate change, so leaders across the world need to urgently look at proposals that tax carbon at consumption. The dividend component is crucial in order to maintain and improve livelihoods whilst we transition away from a carbon-centered society.” More

A Labour MP is to share a stage with Nigel Farage at the launch of a campaign against action on climate change.Graham Stringer, who also campaigned for Brexit with the former Ukip leader, is billed to appear at the launch of a campaign against reaching net zero.He will appear alongside other right-wing talking heads and media personalities such as Reform UK leader Richard Tice and the broadcaster Julia Hartley-Brewer.The MP for Blackley and Broughton has a history of climate denialism – in 2014 voting against accepting the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change conclusion that humans are the dominant cause of global warming.He is also a trustee of the Global Warming Policy Foundation, the UK’s most prominent organisation promoting climate change denialism.The planned appearance has angered party activists, but it has so far received a relatively sedate response from Labour’s leadership.Approached by The Independent, a Labour spokesperson refused to be drawn on whether Mr Stringer could face any sanction or lose the whip. In a statement, the spokesperson focused on Mr Farage’s views on the war in Ukraine: “The Labour Party unequivocally condemns Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and is unwavering in our support for the Ukrainian people, and we’ve been clear about our views on Labour MPs sharing platforms with those who don’t take that view,” the spokesperson said.Climate activists in the Labour Party contrasted Keir Starmer’s response with the strict treatment of left-wing MPs last month for stepping out of line on Ukraine. Aden Harris, a spokesperson for the Labour for a Green New Deal group said: “If there are two things which might define the Starmer leadership it’s failing to take climate change seriously and obsessively picking battles with the left of his own party.”He’s in real danger of displaying his commitment to both of these themes in one incident here: he’s taken heavy-handed action against left MPs who step one iota out of line, but is now silent on a Labour MP sharing a platform with far-right figures to espouse pro-apocalypse politics.“In 2019 and 2021 the Labour Party backed motions calling for a Green New Deal, involving a mass expansion of renewable energy. It’s time Starmer reminded his own MPs of this policy, one which enjoys widespread support across the party and across the country.”And Labour MP Diane Abbott said: “How come right-wing Labour MPs are allowed to share a platform with Farage, but left-wing MPs are not even allowed to sign an anti-war letter?”Mr Farage is using the event in Bolton next Saturday to launch a campaign for a referendum on the government’s net zero target.Some right-wingers inside and outside the Conservative party, sceptical of state intervention, are increasingly agitating to scrap the net zero policy – which scientists say is necessary to prevent global catastrophe.Mr Farage and others argue that arguing averting climate change will increase bills, butt the Committee on Climate Change has dismissed this arguments and says investment in green energy is in fact the best way to bring down bills – and that new fossil fuel drilling will not help.Scientists say reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 at the latest is a requirement to avert catastrophic climate change in the coming decades. More

New proposals for air pollution are too “weak” when people’s lives are at stake, the mother of a nine-year-old girl whose death was linked to toxic air has said. The mother of Ella Kissi-Debrah, the first person in the UK to have air pollution on their death certificate, told The Independent she was “incredibly disappointed” by the government’s plans to toughen up legal limits by 2040, saying this was too far in the future. “The whole thing about this is to save lives, so children won’t continue to die,” Rosamund Kissi-Debrah, now a clean air campaigner, said. Ella, who lived in Lewisham in south London, died nine years ago from an asthma attack. In 2020, a coroner ruled excessive exposure to air pollution contributed to her death in a landmark inquest. In spring last year, the coroner said the UK needed to bring its “far higher” threshold for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) – a type of air pollutant – in line with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) to reduce the number of air pollution deaths.The government has now proposed matching these levels by 2040 in a consultation published on Wednesday.But speaking about this target, Ms Kissi-Debrah said: “It’s too weak.” More

Boris Johnson’s ministers are at risk of failing to deliver on their levelling up agenda and net zero target unless they “pick up the pace”, the government’s own infrastructure advisory body has warned.The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) said the government was making only “slow progress” with plans to boost investment in deprived parts of the country and shift Britain’s energy use to achieve the goal of net zero emissions by 2050.A highly-critical report by the commission said strategies over the last year in these crucial areas “lack detailed delivery policy, leave key gaps, or simply do not go far enough”.The commission’s report urged the government not to put off big decisions on how the net zero transition away from fossil fuels will be funded – saying delays were “holding up” vital investment.“Ultimately, that will either be taxpayers, consumers, or a combination of both. But ensuring the costs are distributed fairly is critical,” the NIC report stated.It added: “Delays to decisions on who pays are now holding up delivering infrastructure, including low carbon heat and energy efficiency. Open and honest conversations, followed by clear decisions, are needed to address this.”The commission urged the government to commit to ten key priorities for the year ahead – including the urgent need for a comprehensive energy efficiency push to insulate Britain’s homes, and accelerate the roll out of electric vehicle charging points.The experts also said it was vital to support more local authorities in developing plans for major urban transport schemes in a number of priority cities – including plans to develop a mass transit system for West Yorkshire.Commission chair Sir John Armitt said: “At a time of significant global volatility alongside concerns about rising living costs, we appreciate that sticking to a long term strategy is not easy.”Sir John added: “But it is the only way to address the stubbornly difficult problems that will not become any easier or cheaper to solve by delaying action – and the quicker we tackle them, the quicker society and our environment will reap the benefits.”Mr Johnson has promised to set out an “energy supply strategy” this month, as dependence on oil and gas comes under growing scrutiny during the Ukraine crisis and sanctions imposed on Russia.The prime minister is reportedly set to announce plans for new drilling in the North Sea for the first time in three years amid rising energy prices after the Russian invasion.Some Conservative MPs are pushing the PM for a rethink on the “new religion” of the net zero target, but Labour has urged Mr Johnson to commit to a faster transition to renewable energy.Last month cabinet minister Michael Gove outlined the government flagship levelling up policy’s 12 missions, which range from skills to transport and lay out how small amounts of cash have been given to different areas.Opposition parties and council chiefs criticised a lack of detailed funding commitments, clear timelines and new powers for local leaders in the levelling up white paper.The NIC review did give the government credit for its £100bn pledge to infrastructure plans over the next three years, alongside a commitment of increased spending in the long term. More

Nigel Farage’s new campaign group has accused a League One football club of a “Moscow-style rebuke to free speech” after it declined to host one of its rallies.The former Brexit Party leader is campaigning against climate action and was hoping to host a political event at a Bolton hotel owned by the club.But a statement issued by the Trotters on Monday said the rally was “not something the club and business wish to be associated with” and that it would be cancelled.Mr Farage’s group, called Vote Power Not Poverty, said in a statement on Tuesday that it was now seeking an alternative venue. “This morning we were made aware that the owners of Bolton Wanderers Football Club and the Bolton Whites Hotel had reneged on our contract to hold the first ‘Vote Power Not Povery’ Rally,” it said.”In a Moscow style-rebuke to free speech, this decision is an attempt to stifle a much needed debate on the expensive consequences of the government’s net zero plans, when there are better solutions.”The group said the decision was “difficult to understand” and claimed “wealthy owners of football clubs may not care about ordinary people”.The concluded: “We remain grateful for the incredible support we’re getting from all parts of our great country.”A statement issued by Bolton Wanderers said: “A ‘Vote Power Not Poverty’ Rally scheduled for later this month at the Bolton Whites Hotel will not be happening.“The event has been cancelled by BWFC and is not something the club and business wish to be associated with.”Some British right-wingers have started to organise against the government’s commitment to reaching net zero carbon, arguing that averting climate change will increase bills.But the Committee on Climate Change has dismissed this arguments and says investment in green energy is in fact the best way to bring down bills – and that new fossil fuel drilling will not help.Scientists say reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 at the latest is a requirement to avert catastrophic climate change in the coming decades.In 2014 Mr Farage named Vladimir Putin as the leader he most admired, praising the Russian president’s skills as an “operator” and citing his “brilliant” handling of the civil war in Syria. More

Boris Johnson’s government has been urged to close the door on fracking forever, amid reports that Downing Street is considering a rethink on the controversial energy resource.Mr Johnson said the UK ban on Russian oil imports was an important “first step” to punish Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine – but he has thus far resisted Tory MPs’ calls to end the moratorium on hydraulic fracturing of gas in Britain.Ministers are considering handing over two Cuadrilla fracking sites in Lancashire to the Royal Geographical Society for research, rather than allow them to be concreted over as planned, according to reports.The prime minister has “opened the door” on the return to fracking by asking his ministers to explore whether it can help diversify the country’s energy supply, according to The Telegraph.Former cabinet minister Lord Frost – who has campaigned for the current fracking ban to be reversed – said it was a “sensible first step” from the government amid concerns over soaring energy costs from the crisis.Fellow ex-Tory minister Robert Jenrick said fracking could play a role in a “more pragmatic energy policy” – claiming it could ease soaring bills. “I personally was always a supporter of fracking … I think we should be revisiting that question,” he told BBC Newsnight.But green campaigners urged the government to resist pressure from Tory MPs and end dependence on all forms of gas.Greenpeace UK’s head of energy Rosie Rogers: “Trying to restart fracking now would only mean wasting more time when we have little. It will take many years to develop and if it ever gets produced, it will be sold to the highest bidder on the international market, with no impact on our energy bills.”She added: “UK government should work on an emergency plan to free our country from gas dependence. This would protect households from soaring bills, tackle the climate crisis and weaken Putin’s hand.”Jamie Peters, Friends of the Earth’s acting campaigns director, said: “Fracking is not the answer to the energy crisis, and would do little to slash soaring bills – as energy minister Kwasi Kwarteng acknowledged last week. It is polluting, disruptive and deeply unpopular across the country.”As recently as Monday, Downing Street had denied suggestions the fracking moratorium could be lifted in response to the Ukraine crisis.“It would take years of exploration and development before any quantities of shale gas could be extracted and wouldn’t have an impact on prices affecting Europe in the near future,” said a No 10 spokesperson.And energy minister Lord Callanan warned of “severe environmental problem” with shale gas production, adding that “Lancashire is not Texas”, being much more heavily populated.A moratorium was imposed on fracking in November 2019 after it caused two minor earthquakes in Lancashire.Last month, energy company Cuadrilla said the UK government’s Oil and Gas Authority had ordered the two shale wells in Lancashire to be filled and abandoned.Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said the move to phase out Russian oil products by the end of the year will “ensure a smooth transition so that consumers will not be affected”.US president Joe Biden ordered a ban on Russian oil imports, while the EU was also expected to announce a phasing out.The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy department (BEIS) and No 10 are yet to comment on reports about a reconsideration of fracking policy. More

The government did not sufficiently consider whether targets for a tree-planting scheme were realistic, according to a public spending watchdog. It said the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) looked set to miss its aim despite working quickly to set up schemes. The government has pledged to boost the number of trees planted in a bid to help the UK reach net zero emissions in the fight against the climate crisis. Defra has a target to plant at least 7,500 hectares every year in England by spring 2025.But the new report by the National Audit Office has cast doubt over how this goal was established. “Defra did not sufficiently consider whether its tree-planting target was achievable, particularly given the broad range of benefits it is trying to achieve,” the public spending watchdog said in its assessment on how the Nature for Climate Fund Treet Programme was set up. It said tree planting rates have not reached 7,500 hectares a year in the past half a century, and has only surpassed 6,000 in three years in this time period. The report said: “Defra told us that it determined the 7,500 hectare per year target is realistic based on available evidence about: historic woodland expansion statistics; potential sector capacity; land availability; and current policy drivers for woodland expansion. “But Defra did not undertake a detailed assessment of this evidence or consider whether historical planting rates could be exceeded when also trying to achieve the programme’s multiple environmental objectives by ensuring the right trees are planted in the right place, which adds to the complexity of increasing tree-planting rates quickly.”Gareth Davies, the head of the NAO, said: “Defra has done well to launch new schemes to support landowners to plant trees. Yet despite its efforts, it is not expecting to achieve the amount of new tree-planting in 2021-22 that it set out to, and should have done more to make sure its targets were realistic.”Trees, woodlands and forests play a key rome in removing greenhouse gases in the air, and can benefit communities by improving air quality and providing a flood barrier, according to the government’s own climate advisers. Figures last year showed the rate of tree planting was falling in England despite pledges to boost it. In November, the government said it had allocated funding to support the planting of 260,000 more trees in England.George Eustice, the environment secretary, said in response to the public spending watchdog’s assessment: “The challenge of climate change requires stretching targets and high ambition.“The NAO report acknowledges that we have worked at pace in difficult circumstances to rise to this challenge but we are under no illusion that there is more to do. That is why we will treble the number of trees planted rates by the end of this parliament, backed up by over £500m.” More

A London council has urged the mayor to scrap plans for a new road tunnel running through its borough, which has been called “the most polluted” in the country.Newham Council voted unanimously for Sadiq Khan to stop building the Silvertown Tunnel, saying this project was incompatible with its climate action and goals. Campaigners have estimated the tunnel – which would connect run under the Thames – would attract tens of thousands of vehicles a day into the south London borough and have raised concerns over how it would impact air quality. But Transport for London claims it will benefit the environment by reducing congestion on polluting roads and by giving public transport networks a boost.All 60 councillors in Newham – all Labour expect for three Independents – voted against the project earlier this week and urged the mayor to cancel it amid concerns over how it could work alongside plans to tackle the climate emergency and air quality. “As walking and cycling would not be permitted in the tunnel, it could obviously make no contribution to active travel infrastructure,” the motion said. The tunnel will connect Greenwich in south London to Silvertown on the other side of the river and is expected to start being built in late spring, with a planned opening date of 2025. Rokhsana Fiaz, Newham’s mayor, said ahead of the vote: “Recent estimates show at least 115 people die prematurely each year in our borough because of life threatening vehicle fumes; and that we have the highest rate of child hospitalisation for asthma related conditions in the country.” She also said one in seven people in Newham are exposed to levels of air pollutant nitrogen dioxide “above the UK limit for human health.She added: “That’s why it is a moral and health imperative to do all that we can to oppose the Silvertown Tunnel.”Ms Fiaz later tweeted to say all councillors had voted in favour of the motion opposing the project. Last month, campaigners against the tunnel met with Seb Dance, the city’s deputy mayor for transport. The Independent understands Mr Dance told them any sudden cancellation of the project – as per their demands – would incur a substantial financial cost.Following the meeting, campaigner Victoria Rance said the tunnel would be “devestating” for Newham, which she called “the most polluted borough in UK with the most polluted schools”. It was reportedly named as the area with the worst pollution rates in British Heart Foundation research in 2019.A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “The Silvertown Tunnel will transform the way people can travel in a part of London that currently has few options for getting across the river. In addition to providing new zero-emission cross-river bus services for an area in need of them, the tunnel will massively reduce the chronic congestion problems currently associated with the inadequate, Victorian-era Blackwall Tunnel.”They said this nearby tunnel is closed 700 times a year on average, which leads to a long line of vehicles “emitting toxic pollutants”. “Both tunnels will be tolled and, when combined with our overall policy of reducing car use across Greater London in favour of active and public transport options, the Silvertown tunnel can help reduce congestion and poor air quality around the Blackwall Tunnel area without increasing the volume of traffic crossing the river,” the spokesperson said. More