Tony Juniper: This paper is not perfect but I congratulate David Miliband

David Miliband should be congratulated for publishing the draft Climate Change Bill. This is the most important piece of environmental legislation for years, and will set an examplethe rest of the world can follow. The Bill will provide a legal framework for reducing the UK's carbon emissions. Once introduced, it will require the Government to introduce a whole range of measures aimed at cutting emissions.

This is not just good news for the environment. It is also good news for business and the public. It will mean warmer homes, more energy-efficient appliances and more jobs in sustainable companies. It will also give clarity to business so they can invest in the fast-growing market for climate-friendly goods and services (something the UK's top business leaders asked for when they met with Tony Blair last year).

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Of course the Bill is not perfect and needs to be strengthened. The target for cutting CO2 emissions by 60 per cent by 2050 will not ensure the UK plays its part in keeping global temperatures from rising above danger levels. Bigger emissions reductions are needed. Friends of the Earth is calling for cuts of at least 3 per cent each year.

The Bill must also include a robust framework which holds governments to account for their role in delivering cuts. The five-year budget periods proposed in the Bill would - more often then not - take in more than one government. This means an administration could avoid taking action to cut emissions, knowing that its successor will get the blame for failing to deliver. Friends of the Earth has proposed annual targets for cutting emissions so that it is clear whether or not governments are on track to deliver the goals to which they have signed up.

The Big Ask, Friends of the Earth's climate campaign, has led the call for legislation to tackle climate change. Over the past two years, thousands of people have visited their MP or emailed the Government in support of the campaign.

Over the next few months, as the Bill makes its way through parliament, they will be urging their MPs to deliver a law which is up to the climate change challenge.

Tony Juniper is director of Friends of the Earth