Consultation on the Draft Climate Change Bill closed on 12 June 2007.  Almost 17,000 people responded and MPs, Peers the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs Select Committee and the Environmental Audit Committee also made recommendations.

The draft bill includes:

• Targets to reduce carbon emissions by 60% by 2050, from 1990 levels, and between 26% and 32% by 2020
• Establishing an independent advisory Committee on Climate Change
• Powers which specifically allow government to introduce new emissions trading schemes
• Greater energy efficiency, with more consumers becoming "producers" of their own energy at home
• Investment in low-carbon fuels and technologies, such as carbon capture and storage, wind, wave and solar power
• Carbon "budgets" - which cap emissions levels - set every five years
• The government reporting annually to Parliament on its progress in controlling emissions

Changes following consultation focus on improving the transparency and flexibility of the monitoring framework and strengthening the role of the Committee on Climate Change.

The Committee on Climate Change will be asked to report on:

• whether the 2050 target should be made more challenging
• the implications of including other greenhouse gases in the targets
• the implications of including international aviation and shipping in the targets.

In addition, as well as reporting to Parliament on progress towards meeting targets and budgets the Committee on Climate Change will now be required to publish its analysis and advice to Government on setting the carbon budget whilst the Government will be required to explain its reasons to Parliament if it does not accept the Committee's advice on the level of the carbon budget.

The revised bill will be introduced in the current parliamentary session and if passed it will make the UK the first country to put carbon emissions reduction targets into law.