Greenpeace reaction to the 2006 Budget

Greenpeace executive director Stephen Tindale said:

"This budget may be the first sign that we're about to get a Prime Minister who acts on climate change instead of just talking about it. Many of these measures will make a difference if properly implemented, though the real test for Brown comes next month when the government has to decide how much carbon British industry is allowed to emit.

"The measures on energy efficiency and microgeneration are very positive and will help bring forward low-carbon buildings and a decentralised energy system. The key decisions on this, however, will be made in the energy review, where the Prime Minister's obsession with all things nuclear still threatens to derail progress towards safer, cleaner and cheaper energy.

"The creation of a new top rate of road tax is the right way to go, but the Chancellor must know that £210 is far too little money to stop anyone buying a gas guzzler. The country would have been behind him if he'd slapped punitive taxes on these vehicles, some of which pump out three times their own weight in carbon every year, but the Chancellor stalled. We will continue to press him to increase the top rate to £1,800, which even the government's own advisers say is necessary.

"Greenpeace welcomes the Chancellor's commitment to strengthen the European emissions trading system. We'll see whether Brown, unlike Blair, follows rhetoric with action when the Government publishes its plans for the next stage of emissions trading before Easter."

For interviews and more information contact Greenpeace on 0207 865 8255