I STOOD up in the town hall this week and branded every elected representative a hypocrite - including myself.

I was being light hearted, but the reality is that in every council chamber up and down the land a similar accusation could have been pointed at those present and it's doubtful whether it would have been inaccurate in more than a handful of cases.

The issue was climate change and how we go about protecting the earth for future generations. I believe it is only by recognising our current faults that we can move on to rectify them.

The recent publication of the Stern report produced a massive response in the media and revealed there are still some in denial about the effect man has had on the changing climate.

I find it difficult to believe anyone can doubt man's impact on global warming but, frankly, it is irrelevant anyway and we should follow the advice of the economist Sir Nicholas Stern and cut consumption regardless.

Because if they are right and global warming is, at least partly, down to man, then action now will avert floods, drought, 200 million refugees and preserve the planet for future generations.

Even if they are wrong and mankind is not responsible for global warming, then by following their advice, the world will still end when it is supposed to but, in the meantime, we will have less pollution, resources will last longer and we will lead healthier lives.

Probably, the biggest impact the average person can make on global warming concerns the car and that is where our greatest hypocrisy lies.

The motion before the council chamber applauded the steps Middlesbrough has already taken in promoting bio-fuel technology and urged further action to promote a green economy. But I drive an 1800cc car, as do many other councillors, and there are much better alternatives. Some have higher powered cars - one has a 3.5 litre monster.

In many ways your car has now become your castle, an expression of yourself, an escape from the pressures of the outside world where you can think in peace, smoke if you so wish, play your music and it's a wrench to lose that.

I've vowed that if any councillor ditches their current car in favour of a super green, low consumption Smart car, I'll follow suit. So far no one has taken me up on the offer but I suspect my conscience will get the better of me anyway and I'll move to a Smart car one day.

So we are all hypocrites when it comes to climate change, but at least most of us realise it and we are moving in the right direction - a few years ago it wasn't even on the radar.

We need a push and it is the Government that needs to push us and lead by example.

Control of buses is to be handed back to town halls in the hope that changes in timings and routes will persuade more people to use public transport. A good idea in theory, but councils simply cannot afford to subsidise bus routes at the expense of social services, public protection or whatever.

So the Government needs to put its money where its mouth is, perhaps promising financial incentives for councils who come up with innovative schemes to get people out of their cars and onto public transport.

Let's see the Government show hypocrites like me how serious it really is about combating climate change.