Reducing carbon emissions requires legislation and an end to the Strasbourg sessions

Last week's European Parliament vote to ban patio heaters has caught the attention of the press, with Eurosceptics jumping on the opportunity to attack the EU. While a ban of patio heaters would be a small step in tackling climate change, it would nevertheless be a significant one. A Green Barometer survey predicts that the number of patio heaters in the UK alone will rise to 2.3 million in the near future, with the amount of CO2 they emit the equivalent to that emitted by driving from Lands End to John O'Groats 200,000 times! The patio heater is a particularly wasteful appliance
as it uses most of its energy heating the open air, while the Energy Savings Trust research indicates that most are used largely in July and August - the warmest months of the year. Surely it is legitimate to debate whether they are worth the emissions?

Of course, this is not to say that patio heaters are the only, or worst, culprits. In fact the widely publicised attempt to ban carbon heaters is part of a larger set of suggestions put forward to the European Commission that includes restricting or phasing out the standby mode on electrical appliances. The Commission already has a timetable for increasing the energy efficiency for a wide range of appliances, including light bulbs and TV set-top boxes. In the long run, the EU's stated aim - agreed to by all member countries - is to reduce overall emissions by at least 20% by 2020.

In a recent Guardian /ICM poll, 78% of respondents stated that the environment was an important issue in their voting decision, while a Sunday Mirror/ICM survey ranked climate change behind only health and crime as an issue respondents were most worried about. Why then the negative responses? If people are serious about tackling climate change then legislation against the most wasteful carbon emitting products is a necessary step.

Of course calls for the EU to get its own house in order are completely justified. The European Parliament is forced against its will to travel to Strasbourg 12 times a year. The trip may not contribute much in the great scheme of the things but the point is that everyone must make changes to battle climate change. Banning patio heaters requires personal sacrifices, while ending this monthly migration would not even be a sacrifice as far as most MEPs are concerned.