Climate Change minister- Lame duck or mighty mouse?

Suggested plans by the Treasury Committee for a new ministerial post to coordinate the fight against global warning will only be effective if it helps to ensure buy-in from key ministers across all Departments. Adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change must be a Government-wide effort - climate change is the responsibility of all Government Departments, not just one minister.

Environmentalists have warned that the early spring may be evidence climate change is happening much faster than has previously been predicted consequently coordinated solutions with political clout need to be implemented sooner rather than later.

Climate science has given us the understanding we need to set targets for emissions reductions that will mitigate the worst effects of climate change. Society, and in particular, engineers, are now required to radically reduce the carbon intensity of all of the world's economies. But while the technical ability to meet these targets exists, bringing these engineering solutions to market in the quantities required is a massive task requiring massive investment in development and commercialization as well as political encouragement and support. Therefore a new Climate Change minister, whose sole portfolio would be concerned with climate change, could become an effective champion across government adding greater impetus and focus to the subject than is currently the case. The role would also create greater openness with ministerial accountability.

Real coherence in Government policy is essential if the campaign against climate change is to be successful. Creating a minister that is lame and remit limited will only add to the problem, and the position will be seen as an irrelevance and impotent of any effective powers. Any new ministerial post will therefore need to be robust and effective in promoting cross-departmental cooperation.

The problems we face in delivering clean energy reliably require new engineering solutions within a policy and economic framework that will encourage timely investment enabled by appropriate Government intervention. A new minister for Climate Change could help to achieve this through ensuring financial controls - such as levies and taxes – of environmental problems are being fully implemented. But it is equally critical UK industry isn't over burdened with regulation and subsequently hindered from competing globally.