The Green Economics Institute calls on the government to recognise that the market cannot provide the answers we need to climate change- as Nicholas Stern's report indicated. Reliance on the market without other mechanisms being used is a receipe for business as usual. Unfortunately this could lead to really catastophic climate change, sea level rise and the extinction of half of all species by the end of the century- leaving an unpleasant or uninhabitable world for our children.

The European Commissioners believe eco -innovation will provide the quick fix to all our climate problems -including more generations of biofuels- although food prices and fuel prices have rocketed recently, and globally are causing instability.This approach is clearly mistaken and wont achieve the influx of venture capital they so clearly are desperate to obtain.

We need economics policies which do not only look after business, and do not only try to pave the way for Adaption to the new conditions - where farming may be uneconomic or impractical outside of the polar regions, but also we need policies which try to prevent the situation deteriorating. Merely working for adapting to the new situation is a defeatist and an unambitious target and is not worthy of a government of a country with the 5th most developed economy in the world... In our view its really not good enough.

We are looking for much more innovative economic instruments, incentives for life style changes to new thinking and new conditions, much more interdisciplinary working, and much more ambitious targets, limits and incentives to move the situation forward and to improve it. Even in the case of women's pay- half the country earns 17% less than the other half- our biodiversity is under threat- our coast lines are taking a pummeling from increased storm ferocity....We need much more innovative expenditure in planning for local infrastructure, and more renewables investment, organics, and infinately better and cheaper and easier to use public transport. We dont need more flights-

We need more incentives for small local businesses- which benefit local communities and encourage diversity- fit into women's timescales for child care, and people with special needs, and to ensure that tax regimes discourage tax havens and that large corporations do not escape corporation tax through cross border clever accounting, but pay their way. At a time when climate change costs and social costs in Africa are skyrocketing, large energy firms are racking in record profits whilst the rest of us pick up their " externalities" and true costs of operation. More and more money is going into larger energy providers. The solution seems to be small scale renewables locally produced and better housing with environmental efficiency built and incentives for ordinary people, the general public to improve their own buildings and housing stock rather than just fiddling and giving money to a small number of niche builders for a tiny proportion of new builds.

Poverty in old age is a problem for Women as 99% of the worlds assets are owned by men and most people who are poor are in fact women. New ideas such as basic income at least allow for women if pegged correctly to have at least equal income with the rest of the country and not be predicated on reliance on finding a man to partner with - which is less and less the normal pattern or on being the in workplace for the full number of years which many women do not do due to responsibilities at home caring for children or the elderly in the family or the sick. They then loose out financially as they dont pay enough NI stamps or receive pensionable income and it is currently nearly a fifth less than men for equal work. Both men and women are increasingly in less secure jobs with the current outsourcing, off shoring and temporary contract fashion, which commodifies work. We need some security of basic income for everyone regardless of status of relationships or employment status.

We are also burdening our young people with huge debts and impossible costs of housing and so its no wonder that they are amongst the most miserable in the developed world according to studies by the UN. They seem to have taken up drinking in a huge way-due to the governments listening to the drinks companies rather than its own young people. Its time for this government to stop pandering to business - especially large business and to start listening to people.

We need a tax regime which taxes consumption of wasteful polluting, carbon wasting, anti social behaviour, aviation, and car tax to be graded according to how polluting a car is. It also need to consider contributions to poverty, climate change and biodiversity loss- and inequalities in society.Divise activities and businesses should pay more in tax. Businesses which are inclusive and benefit local communities need to have tax incentives.

We want much more to spent on aid and it must not be tied to ideological aims but rather for genuine basic needs -we recommend a starting point of 1%. We call on the government to produce an alternative set of accounts -showing the enhancement of natural capital or its net overall depletion for the year... and also indicators for equality in society- and for literacy overall and life long learning - how can a government in 2008 reduce adult education funds ? This a very short sighted and primitive thing to do.

Larger economies such as the Uk need to contract the use of its carbon and we welcome the Sustainable Commissions forthcoming audit of government departments carbon usage.

We believe incentives should be given to encourage sustainable procurement and supply chains and to disincentivise outsourcing of environmental,ethical and social standards- environmental dumping.

Its time to wake up in government and to provide some leadership... Lets hope this years budget has something interesting and useful to offer the people of the UK and is the start of the road to improvement in environmental and social justice matters.

Miriam Kennet March 2008