Examination of Witnesses (Questions 455-459)
SIR DIGBY
JONES AND
MR MICHAEL
ROBERTS
19 JANUARY 2005
Q455 Chairman: Good afternoon and welcome
to the Environmental Audit Committee.
Sir Digby Jones: Thank you for
having us.
Q456 Chairman: Mr Roberts is making a
reappearance before the committee and Sir Digby Jones is making
his first appearance. Congratulations on your new knighthood,
Sir Digby.
Sir Digby Jones: Thank you very
much.
Q457 Chairman: It is good to see you.
We are going to divide this session into two: first of all, questions
relating to our inquiry on the international leadership on climate
change and then towards the end some questions relating to one
of our other inquiries which is to do with the Pre-Budget Report.
I will try to make it clear when we switch from one to the other.
First of all, can I ask you, Sir Digby, whether you agree with
the government's Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir David King, that
climate change is the most serious problem facing mankind?
Sir Digby Jones: I am not too
sure I would say that it is the most serious problem. I would
say it is up there as one of the first equal. I think there are
one or two other equally serious problems. It is certainly not
the second most serious. It is first or first equal.
Q458 Chairman: Do you accept, following
on from that, that we need in the developed world to make reductions
in our emissions of between 60 and 80% by 2050?
Sir Digby Jones: I do, and I will
go further than that and say that I am very pleased you used the
words "developed world". I am very pleased that the
European Union, led in many ways by example by Great Britain,
have set stringent targets and have said that they will go for
it. I just wish America was doing the same and we have not a hope
of getting India and China and other emerging nations on board,
especially those at the top of the developing world. India and
China have got to the point where I do not even think we can call
them developing any more. They are very much beyond that. We need
in the developed world to set an example, so not only do I accept
that but I would call on the United States to not only do something
but be seen to do something because I think the example set is
as important as saying we are going to try and do it.
Q459 Chairman: I am delighted that we
have got off to such a positive start, Sir Digby.
Sir Digby Jones: I agree, it is
a positive start. I am proud to lead businesses which really do
want to do their bit. They really do understand how important
the issue is and they do want to play their part in contributing
to cleaning up the planet. If it is something where you may perhaps,
Chairman, have been thinking, "Are we going to get such a
positive start?", I will just mention with my tongue in my
cheek and a smile in my eyes but nevertheless true, that it is
a year to today since I used the immortal words in a press release
which has been quoted many times very happily since, that the
problem is that the UK Government risks sacrificing UK jobs on
the altar of green credentials. I stand by that remark one year
to the day, and in the same release when I said that I also said,
"Britain should lead the world on the environment issues
but not to the extent that some other EU members and other competitor
countries profit from our good intention". I am sitting here
today saying I am proud that I belong to a nation, my members
belong to a nation, that is leading from the front, that has a
Prime Minister who has said that he is going to make it the central
tenet of his G8 chairmanship; I am proud that my members do and,
by the way, they could do so much more as well. However, the issue
where we might not find so much common ground, Chairman, is that
I worry that we go into the ring of global competitiveness with
one hand tied behind our back because we are one of the few nations
that lead from the front and others do not and that renders us
uncompetitive.
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