Mark's Guide to Green Groups

The Guide provides some useful information on how to reduce your own carbon emissions as well as information on UK efforts to cut greenhouse gases, most notably through the Climate Change Act. There are also details on how to get in touch with some of the local groups working to protect our environment. If you would like to get hold of a copy please get in touch mark@marklazarowicz.org.uk or on 557-0577.

Climate Change Act and the Energy Act

Mark has welcomed the strengthening of the Climate Change and Energy Bills, measures which will commit the UK to bigger reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and boost renewable energy.

The Climate Change Act sets out a long-term legal framework for reducing emissions for the first time and makes the UK the first country in the world to put carbon reduction targets into law.  Many other countries are now looking at whether they should follow the UK Government’s lead and adopt a similar bill.

The Government has also strengthened the Energy Bill (now the Energy Act). The Government had already committed to introducing a feed-in tariff, enabling small businesses, communities, schools and hospitals to generate their own electricity. The introduction of a feed-in tariff will provide a guaranteed return for the electricity they produce and export to the grid which will help to encourage people to invest in renewable energy. The Government’s has moved to boost the introduction of this measure by increasing the upper limit on the feed-in tariff from 3MW to 5MW.

About Mark

Mark was appointed recently as the Prime Minister's Special Representative on Carbon Trading. In this role, Mark will be reporting to the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.

Mark is a member of the Environmental Audit Select Committee which has looked at issues such as ‘carbon offsetting’ and the levels of carbon emissions from aviation. The committee is currently looking, in the light of the Stern Review, what targets should be set, and what accountability framework should be put in place to ensure such targets are met.

Locally, Mark has been working with community organisations, environmental NGOs and with local businesses in Edinburgh and Leith to explore what can be done to develop community and sustainable energy projects in Leith and Edinburgh. For more information on the Edinburgh Community Energy Project, click here

In Parliament, Mark recently served on the special Joint Committee to look at the Draft Climate Change Bill. Mark has been a strong supporter of a Climate Change Bill and is keen to ensure that the proposed law includes tough and binding targets.

In 2005, Mark successfully introduced into Parliament a ‘Private Members Bill’ on Climate Change which included a number of measures to support renewable energy and energy efficiency. The Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act became law in June 2006 and includes a number of measures to promote microgeneration, energy efficiency and community energy schemes. The Act also includes measures to require Government to report on the level of emissions of greenhouse gases in the UK and to produce an annual report on the steps taken to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. 

Mark is am an active member of the Labour Party's own environmental pressure group, the Socialist Environment & Resources Association (SERA), and a member of Friends of the Earth (Scotland). Mark was also one of the first Scottish MPs to have taken up the 25/5 challenge to cut his carbon emissions by 25 per cent over 5 years.

Background information on the Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act and archived material on Mark's work on environmental issues is available here

Find out what your carbon footprint is and discover how you can make some simple steps to tackle climate change by going to the 'Act on CO2' calculator here

World's first wave power farm

See photos here of the world's first wave farm, designed and built by by Edinburgh-based firm Pelamis Wave Power Ltd. See also Guardian article & video here.