FSB voices concern over Climate Change Bill
March 21, 2007
Small businesses will find it difficult to prove they are meeting targets to reduce carbon dioxide emissions set out in the Government’s Climate Change Bill (CCB), according to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).
The recently released CCB outlined statutory targets to reduce UK emissions by 32 per cent by 2020 and 60 per cent by 2050, using a series of ‘carbon budgets’ – set quantities of emissions permitted over a five-year period.
FSB spokesman, Stephen Alambritis, said: "Small businesses will have to play their part in meeting CCB targets. Our concern is that small businesses will find it difficult to prove they have complied with measures and met targets.
"We do not oppose the CCB, but we want a reality check on the difficulties for small businesses. They will need more advice, education and support. The Government also needs to step up investment in alternative sources of energy, to make them more available and affordable for small businesses," he added.
The FSB will work with the Environment Agency to update NetRegs, a free website designed to help small businesses understand their environmental obligations, as climate change regulations come into force.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which drafted the CCB, predicts small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will face an increase in compliance costs in meeting the targets. However, Defra has pledged to carry out detailed impact assessments on small firms prior to developing future policies.
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