EURO-MP Jean Lambert has criticised Conservative and Liberal members of the European Parliament’s Environment Committee after they voted to weaken the ‘already weak’ Emissions Trading System (ETS) – the principal means for tackling climate change in the EU.

Ms Lambert, London’s Green MEP, said the decision was ‘an exercise in time wasting’ – and would mean industry emits more greenhouse gas reductions – and in some cases may even receive public subsidies for doing so.

Speaking after members of the committee voted to postpone the next round of auctioning ‘permits to pollute’, she said:

“Instead of taking measures to prevent further climate change, all the committee has done is delay any action at all.

“There are, quite simply, too many permits to emit greenhouse gases in circulation. We wanted to reform the way the ETS works, and reduce this number of permits, but instead the proposal from the Environment Committee does neither and is consequently an exercise in time wasting.”

Ms Lambert added: “The position adopted today would weaken an already-weak system – worse, it adds vague statements about future unconditional subsidies to dirty industries.

“The time for tinkering is now over. Ultimately, stepping up the EU’s outdated emissions reduction target to at least 30% by 2020 is necessary to restore some credibility to ETS and its impact on climate change.”