National carbon calculator: How Labour would cut emissions

Our approach is not only to cut carbon, but to create clean energy jobs, finance low-carbon infrastructure and empower individuals

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COP15 : British Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Miliband
Ed Miliband at the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen, December 2009. Photograph: Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty Images

Alongside the economic crisis and the political crisis of expenses, the climate crisis is fundamental to the choices we have to make as a country in the years ahead. But despite the threat that global warming poses, we must also seize the moment to inspire people with the positive vision we can achieve as we tackle it.

The mission to create green jobs through clean energy and low-carbon manufacturing is at the heart of our manifesto. Making that change happen requires an active government. The Tory idea of a laissez-faire DIY state cannot achieve it. Of course we need to help people act, but government also has a duty to lead.

The crucial feature of Labour's approach is not just making it possible to cut carbon, it is creating jobs. Over the last few months four of the world's biggest wind turbine manufacturers - Siemens, GE, Mitsubishi and Clipper - have decided to open new plants in Britain, creating thousands of jobs. Why? Because the Labour government has made us the leader in offshore wind generation and provided financial support for manufacturing investment. That support was opposed by the Tories and would be at risk from their immediate cuts in public spending.

At the same time Toyota and Nissan have chosen Britain to manufacture Europe's first hybrid car and Europe's first mass-produced electric car. Why? Because of the Labour government's commitment to supporting infrastructure and helping consumers buy electric cars - again spending opposed by and at risk from the Tories.

And now one of the centrepieces of our manifesto is the creation of a Green investment bank, to help finance low-carbon infrastructure. And unlike the Tory imitation of this policy, the bank we propose will have new money in it financed through asset sales.

We also want to empower individuals. So we are supporting people to improve energy efficiency and generate their own power, for example through new ways to finance clean energy home improvements, so people can install advanced energy efficiency measures or solar panels.

So there is a positive vision of jobs, empowerment and fairness with plans sector by sector from agriculture to transport. All of this will take place within a clear framework for carbon emissions. That is why, with support from groups ranging from Greenpeace to the Confederation of British Industry, we introduced the Climate Change Act which made Britain the first country in the world to have detailed carbon budgets written into law.

On the website of the Department for Energy and Climate Change you can see the budget levels for each sector. Combined, they set out the progress that needs be made to achieve our statutory target of a reduction in emissions by 2020 of 34% on 1990 levels.

To make sure that government is held to these commitments, we set up the independent Climate Change Committee which reports regularly on progress on emissions reductions.

The committee will also advise us on what further reductions we will need to make when we achieve our aim to shift the European goal from a 20% to a 30% reduction in emissions by 2020 alongside similar ambition from other developed countries. In contrast, the Tories don't mention this target at all - suggesting they have no such ambition.

The Guardian's national carbon calculator takes a different approach from the government's on how to calculate emissions and where savings can come from, but however you do the maths, it is clear that we need to provide active support for energy efficiency and to take the carbon out of our energy infrastructure.

It also shows that ruling out any one of the main low-carbon power sources makes achieving an 80% cut in emissions very difficult indeed. It just isn't practical to think we can cut emissions as required and keep the lights on if we don't attempt to use all low-carbon power sources at our disposal: renewables, nuclear power and clean coal.

So we disagreed with shadow business secretary, Ken Clarke, when he said we should have no more wind turbines on mainland Britain - echoing the many Tory councils that refuse to give them planning permission. We think onshore wind has to play a role. And, unlike the Liberal Democrats, we don't think we should rule out the only low-carbon technology which already supplies a sizeable proportion of our electricity: nuclear power.

But action at home will not be enough to beat climate change. We need action globally, and for that we need Europe to lead, something the Conservatives cannot do because of their scepticism on Europe.

International progress has been slow, but through the Copenhagen Accord we do now have an agreement that for the first time agrees to limit warming to 2C and commits all major countries, including both the US and China, to reducing their emissions.

The next few years will be crucial in deciding whether we build on this progress or go backwards. We believe in pushing for a stronger, internationally legally binding treaty, with deeper emissions cuts in Europe and among developed countries and an acceleration of action at home. Our manifesto sets out a course to meeting those objectives.

We can both inspire people positively and prevent the dangers of unchecked climate change. It requires determined action by government in partnership with people, driven by fairness. We are determined to do it.

Ed Miliband is the secretary of state for energy and climate change and the Labour MP for Doncaster North