Ethics Newsline®

NEW YORK
Britain’s chief financial official said there is an “ethical dimension” to the battle against global warming, but said that the effort must be balanced with economic needs.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown said last week that the moral imperative to cut greenhouse gases must be balanced with the United Kingdom’s economic needs as well as the burden to businesses and individuals, the Guardian reported.

While contending that the developed world has a moral duty to tackle climate issues, Brown said he will not endorse higher fuel taxes, the BBC reported, saying that high oil prices already pose a burden for drivers.

The Scotsman newspaper noted that Brown appeared to echo the words of the archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, who last month said governments had a “moral duty” to tackle climate change.

Environmental issues as well as the economy are key factors in Britain’s upcoming elections, with a fierce battle raging between the Conservatives and Labour for the so-called green vote.

London’s Daily Mail reports that the politicking is coming down to the smallest of details: Critics tallied up how much petroleum was used by Brown’s trip to New York, where he made his remarks, and an opposition publicity stunt featuring a dogsled on an Arctic island was calculated to have created precisely 30 pounds of carbon dioxide from the government car that drove to the airport.