David Cameron has declared his intention that his Government will be the greenest ever.  It makes for a nice sound bite, but will it be true?  Perhaps the key player in enforcing David Cameron to deliver on that statement is Tim Yeo MP (pictured below), the newly elected Chair of the Energy & Climate Change Standing Committee - and with whom our CEO Juliet had an interesting meeting this week.

During their meeting they discussed the importance of making sure that energy customers understand not only how much power they are using but also its provenance – Tim was particularly keen to hear about the Green Energy Supply Certification Scheme which guarantees that electricity is genuinely green and with a defined environmental benefit.

Although a Conservative MP, the new process of electing, rather than appointing, Standing Committee chairs, means Tim has the luxury to speak his mind on energy & climate change issues, and he has publicly stated his intention to hold the government to account.  But where does he stand?

Helpfully, Tim has just published a Pamphlet entitled "Green Gold: The case for raising the game on climate change".  In it Tim sets out his own journey to understanding climate change, and, echoing the Committee on Climate Change, he calls for a step change in our approach.

Some of Tim's proposals make interesting reading.  He supports personal carbon trading, arguing that those who claim it's too complex or intrusive into our lives should consider the complexities of store loyalty cards.  He was very interested in hearing from Juliet about how Good Energy is implementing our own personal carbon trading scheme for employees with PACT – something we’ll be blogging about soon.

He also suggests that we should privatise the motorway network and allow toll charges for their use depending on  time of day and location. In fact, he makes the case for the electrification of surface transport (road & rail), but argues, as does Good Energy, that this will only be effective if that electricity is generated from zero carbon sources.

On the international front, he highlights that China, far from being the bad boy of climate change, is actually investing aggressively in low-carbon technology.  If the UK does not move fast, it may find itself trailing in China's wake in the new green, global economy.

Key to Tim's message is that the government needs to create an environment that cajoles or empowers individuals and businesses to make the changes, rather than the Big Brother mandating approach of the previous administration.

Whatever your political persuasions, this pamphlet is a good all round document making the case for tackling climate change and sensible arguments on how we should do this. Both David Cameron and Chris Huhne certainly need to read it, if only to see how firmly they will be held to account.