MHKs criticise 'wishy washy' Isle of Man climate change bill
A bill that would enshrine measures to tackle climate change on the Isle of Man into law has been branded "toothless" and "wishy washy" by an MHK.
The proposed law would set the government the target of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
But Daphne Caine said the legislation lacked concrete targets and would allow the opportunity to "cop out" of goals.
Environment Minister Geoffrey Boot said it needed to be "flexible".
It would be wrong to set "specific targets or commitments" for future administrations, he added.
Speaking during a reading of the bill in the House of Keys, Ms Caine said it needed to speak in terms of "must" instead of "may" when setting out its targets.
She said: "The more I read and re-read the bill, the more concerned I was that this is green-washing - the government apparently taking action to combat climate change but in reality nothing meaningful will be implemented or might be implemented as part of this bill."
In addition to the 2050 goal, the Climate Change Bill 2020 provides for the Council of Ministers to set interim targets but it does not necessitate them to do so.
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