The Treasury's fight against climate change

Shadow Chancellor George Osborne has made a series of policy announcements on how a Conservative Treasury would tackle climate change and stimulate investment in new green technologies and jobs.

His speech is part of a series of six climate change speeches by Shadow Cabinet ministers this week.

Saying that the Treasury "needs to be at the heart of this historic fight against climate change", he announced that a Conservative Government would:

• Cut central government emissions by ten per cent within twelve months - Britain’s leading companies have agreed to work with a Conservative government to achieve this.
• Consult on Britain’s first Green Investment Bank.
• Make Whitehall energy consumption transparent.
• Introduce new Green ISAs.
• Create a framework to allow the public to be paid to recycle.
• Expand the City’s green trading market.

Osborne added: "A Conservative government will green our economy and green the public sector. We will do what it takes to build the green companies and technologies of the future. We will help create the jobs the country needs. And we will drive behaviour change throughout the public sector and beyond."

Read the full speech here