North Hoyle View
With the news dominated by devastating storms and flooding, the need for an energy revolution is clear. And public support for wind farms is growing, despite a small but aggressive campaign against proposed wind energy in recent months.
The new poll by ICM shows that 80 percent of people support government plans to significantly increase the number of wind turbines in Britain, with just eight percent opposed.
The Labour and Conservative party leaders are taking advantage of growing concern over climate change and support for renewable energy to fight for top spot as climate change crusader this week.
Speaking to the Environment Forum on Monday, Michael Howard described climate change as the "single most important environmental issue of all." While Blair refered to climate change as "the world's greatest enviromental challenge" in his speech at a business and environment conference hosted by Prince Charles on Tuesday.
Howard is right when he said Bush should sign the Kyoto Protocol, but on the ground his party is a serious impediment in the fight against climate change.
Conservative councilors have tried to scupper wind projects across the country, most recently the Scarweather Sands offshore wind farm in Wales. Howard has also shared a platform with prominent anti-wind campaigners like David Bellamy, who denies global warming is even real.
Despite a vocal celebrity-led campaign against wind farms, featuring Noel Edmonds and David Bellamy, the poll shows people don't just want renewable energy, they want wind farms in their communities. The poll revealed that seven out of ten people support the construction of wind farms in their local area.
Blair says he intends to put climate change at the centre of his EU presidency and Britain's hosting of the G8 summit next year.
We hope this is a genuine commitment to get tough on climate change at home and abroad. Unless he gets squarely behind wind energy in the UK his government will miss its renewable energy targets and damage efforts to tackle climate change.
If the Prime Minister is worried that building wind farms is unpopular he can put his mind at rest. Wind energy is one of New Labour's most popular policies.
