‘Investment needed to hit zero-carbon target’

As the world’s largest-ever report into climate change was published yesterday, Ian Corder, director of operation and standards at ESI Monitor – a local company that helps organisations measure and manage their environmental and social impact and exposure – turned the heat up on the States to move more quickly on the island’s climate change policy plan, adopted last year.

‘The States put a net-zero target strategy in place to reach before 2050. That’s a great commitment, but at the moment the action plan is too long term – it’s too far away,’ Mr Corder said.

‘There’s a goal by 2035 to ban the import of new petrol and diesel, but that’s really saying they’re not going to do anything for the next five-10 years. That’s an entire life span of

vehicles away.

‘The States need a clear road map for the next five years. It needs to be specific, it needs to be clear, tangible and practical.’

He said that IPCC report needed to be seen as a call to action rather than another warning.

‘If nothing can be done, they wouldn’t bother to even publish anything. The more emissions we cut, the less the consequences will be.’

Mr Corder said that Guernsey and all islanders as individuals have a role to play in reducing the impact of climate change.

‘We enjoy a high standard of living in Guernsey. The impact of each of us reducing 10% of our emissions has a disproportionate impact compared to people in other parts of the world with lower standards of living,’ he said.

‘Our standards in the West are essentially built on the back of 100-150 years of greenhouse gas emissions. We can’t expect developing countries like India, and to an extent China, to commit to climate goals if we’re not already at the front of the

fight.’