By Nina Chestney
LONDON (Reuters) - Controversial measures to force Britons to use less energy and cleaner forms of transport could be necessary to aid Britain's fight against climate change, a senior Conservative member of parliament said on Monday.
Tim Yeo, chairman of Parliament's energy and climate change select committee, advocated more investment in nuclear power and renewable energy, but also said much bigger incentives were needed to encourage people to shift to low-carbon technologies.
His recommendations follow a UK climate advisory body report urging the government to invest more in low-carbon technology and a KPMG report advocating more investment in nuclear power.
Charging drivers for using UK motorways based on their emissions output and time of travel could encourage the uptake of cleaner vehicles and cut emissions, Yeo said in a pamphlet on climate change.
The "overdue" privatization of UK motorways could also fund more investment in better roads and the development of high-speed rail.
"The income from motorway tolls could offer a return to private investors and pave the way for the Treasury to receive a big capital receipt from the sale," Yeo said.
Other measures such as personal carbon trading could also be introduced, whereby people are allocated emissions credits on an equal per capita basis.
People surrender the credits for traveling by air or domestic energy use. Those who want or need to emit more than their personal allocation can buy extra credits while those who do not use their full allowance can sell the credits for cash.
"People have got to get used to making low-carbon choices. If they have a direct incentive to do so, they will think about it," Yeo said.
Britain's local council tax could also be varied to reward households that invest in making their homes energy efficient.
Yeo echoed a UK climate advisory body on Monday which said Britain was lagging behind other countries in terms of low-carbon investment.
Britain and other Western countries are in danger of being left behind by China which is rapidly investing in low-carbon technology despite criticism Beijing was partly responsible for the breakdown of U.N. climate talks in Copenhagen last year, he said.
(Editing by James Jukwey)
