Privatised Climatality, Sustainable Profitability

The Glorious Successor has announced a climate change bill "which would make the UK the first country in the world to introduce legally-binding targets for emissions cuts"; though, given New Labour's well-known flexibility when it comes to legal obligations, it is just possible that this splendid achievement may turn out a little less impressive than it sounds. In order to "prevent dangerous temperature rises" which are taking place now, the bill "would enforce reductions of greenhouse gas emissions of at least 60% by 2050", the means of achieving this being airport expansion; investment in safe and sustainable fuels like uranium; and doubtless also by strongly encouraging any government which defaulted to subject itself to the severest possible penalty which it could, in conscience, sustain. Fortunately, the bill will also "set five-year carbon budgets" rather than annual ones, thus ensuring that, if news of the latest failure cannot be buried in the landfill of some future 9/11, it can at least be attenuated into the odd atmospheric particle.