Industry News from Yes Insurance

Gordon Brown's efforts to address environmental issues in yesterday's Budget have been described as "faint-hearted" by green lobbyists.

The chancellor announced that vehicle excise duty would double to £400 for those behind the wheel of the most polluting cars, meaning that those driving automobile emitting high amounts of carbon will face more charges on top of their car insurance bill.

Similarly, there will be 2p rises at the petrol and diesel pumps in 2008, with a further 1.8p to be added in 2009, with fuel duty going up by a total of 5.8p per litre over the same period, he revealed.

This move was welcomed by Greenpeace director John Sauven, but was tame in comparison with the effort actually needed, he told the Guardian.

"The urgency of climate change requires bold measures and not timidity on cars and planes."

It has been estimated that the north-east produces the highest amount of CO2 in the UK per annum - with 34 million tonnes reportedly emitted last year, according to the World Development Movement.

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