Brown pledge on zero carbon homes

12 April 2012

Chancellor Gordon Brown pledged to tackle climate change with an ambitious target of making every new home a zero carbon home within the next ten years.

Details will be announced next week, but to kick start the scheme, the Chancellor will, for a limited period, exempt new zero carbon homes from stamp duty.

Mr Brown also said he wants to make London the world's leading centre for carbon trading.

He told MPs: "We can use market mechanisms and incentives to work towards global carbon trading.

He said that since Sir Nicholas Stern's review on climate change and the economy, published last month, 31 countries have now signed up to emissions trading as a first step to the global framework.

"We are bringing together the major financial institutions because our aim is to make London the world's leading centre for carbon trading.

"On the development of bio-fuels, Britain has now signed a partnership agreement with Brazil, Mozambique and South Africa.

"On the preservation of rain forests we are working with Latin American and Asian countries, on clean coal with China and India, and today Norway and Britain are together launching the first feasibility study for a new infrastructure for carbon capture and storage under the North Sea.

"The Secretary for Industry will be appointing engineers ahead of a decision to be made next year on the first carbon capture demonstration plant for the United Kingdom. It is time also to set a long-term framework for curbing emissions from houses, which are 30% of all emissions.

"Next week the Secretary for Communities and the Housing Minister will set out plans to ensure that within ten years every new home will be a zero carbon home and we will be the first country ever to make this commitment.

"And to accelerate the building of zero carbon homes for a time limited period the vast majority of new zero carbon homes will be exempted from stamp duty. For existing homes I will consult on a new facility to undertake energy audits and offer low loans that will, in time, because of low energy bills, pay for themselves."

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