Gordon Green and the fourth technological revolution...

Brown pressed for “governing, not gimmickry”, as he outlined Britain’s future programme to combat climate change.

Tough targets, including a potential increase of the UK’s 60% cut by 2050 to 8-0%, and a “fourth technological revolution” were at the top of his agenda. Brown expressed absolute commitment to Europe’s 2020 targets on renewable energy – targets which will be revealed over the coming months.

The biggest impact for consumers will come in the form of a mission to end the use of plastic bags, and provide advice on home energy use through a new helpline and free audit service.

Industry will find itself further targeted: Britain will be pressing for a more ambitios target on emissions from new cars of 100 grammes per kilometre by 2020, or no later than 2025. By 2016, all new houses will have to be zero carbon. And from 2010 we will also introduce carbon trading in the UK for large but less energy-intensive businesses - offices, supermarkets, commerce and public sector organisations.

Brown also outlines his intentions for December’s talks in Bali: a global carbon market; "binding emissions caps" for all developed countries; and an assurance that global greenhouse gas emissions must peak within 10-15 years and then reduce by at least half by 2050.

Startling statistics reveal how far we have to go. In Britain we now produce some 654 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent annually. By 2050 we need to be producing between just 155 and 310 million tonnes - less than half as much in an economy which will be two and a half times its present size. The government calculates that within four decades each pound of GDP needs to produce just one sixth to one twelfth of the CO2 equivalent it does today.

Low-carbon energy will be key, and Brown announced a competition to build one of the world's first commercial CCS coal projects, demonstrating the full chain of CO2 capture, transport and storage. Investment in wave, wind, and biomass energy will have to increase.

All in all, a realistic and practical response. Some of my faith has been restored… All that remains is to see if these ideas can be translated into action.

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