Deputy PM needs to 'get his house in order' on energy efficiency
Greenpeace volunteers have fitted solar panels to John Prescott's roof and hung a huge banner across his house that says, "OI 2 JAGS! HIT TARGETS, NOT VOTERS".The campaigners say the Deputy PM is putting Britain's climate change targets at risk by failing to make UK homes more energy efficient. According to the UN, climate change kills 150,000 people every year, while Tony Blair has described the threat as the gravest we face.
The protesters left low energy lightbulbs and loft insulation outside the front door of Mr Prescott's house in Hull early this morning before taking to his roof to install the clean energy system. The solar panels are ready for use as soon as the Deputy PM plugs them in.
Mr Prescott - who says everybody must 'do their bit' to fight climate change - is in charge of housing policy in the UK. Our homes account for over a quarter of the UK's CO2 emissions. The government is aiming for a 20 percent improvement in household energy efficiency, but unless ministers take drastic action they will fail to meet the target.
Greenpeace campaigner Laura Yates helped fit 60 square feet of solar panelling to the medieval-style battlements on Mr Prescott's roof.
"The Deputy PM's got a reputation for straight-talking," she said from the roof, "but since the election kicked off we've heard barely a squeak about climate change from big hitters like him. As long as the average existing British house is responsible for six tonnes of CO2 every year he's not dealing with the climate crisis. He's in danger of hitting more voters than climate targets. Whoever wins on May 5th needs to get serious about energy efficiency."
Mr Prescott's office has stated that he wants to create 'sustainable communities' requiring 'a step change in the way our housing and communities are planned, designed and built.' But so far he has failed.
- The only mandatory rules governing construction of new houses are the Building Regulations, but a third of new houses fail even to meet these requirements.
- The regulations are under review this year, meaning whoever wins the election has an ideal opportunity to make 100% climate-friendly building developments the norm - an initiative the Deputy PM has so far failed to commit to.
- More than one million new homes will be built in the South East by 2016 alone. By making them 100% climate-friendly, government could remove a threat to the climate that would last for decades, if not centuries. But Mr Prescott hasn't even guaranteed that the new Thames Gateway development of 120,000 homes will meet the highest standards of energy efficiency.
The action comes the day after Greenpeace released the results of its climate change election league table. The parties were ranked according to their responses to ten specific demands for domestic action. The Liberal Democrats scored 61 percent, Labour 38 percent, Conservatives 37 percent.
Laura Yates added: "Mr Prescott thinks climate change is a huge threat and lectures the world about the need to tackle it, but when it comes to meeting Britain's climate targets he hasn't got his house in order. The average British home is responsible for more greenhouse gas than the average car. John Prescott needs to make sure all new homes are 100% climate-friendly and help existing houses become much more energy efficient."
Download the Greenpeace briefing UK Housing Fuelling Climate Change as a pdf.
For more information call Greenpeace on 07801 212967 / 0207 865 8255. Video and stills available.
Notes
Greenpeace wants government to:
- Set tough environmental standards for all new buildings Regulations should ensure that all new buildings are built to zero-emission standards. Buildings should incorporate renewable power such as solar water heating and photovoltaics, along with state-of-the-art energy efficiency measures.
- End fuel poverty and encourage energy efficiency High energy-efficiency standards should be set for social housing, and financial incentives and grants provided to encourage energy efficiency improvements in existing buildings. Energy-efficient housing should be eligible for reductions in council tax and stamp duty. In addition, there should be zero VAT on energy-efficient building products.
- Support expansion of combined heat and power (CHP) generation. All new housing developments and public and commercial buildings should be required to include CHP plants for heating, hot water and electricity. The Government should fund changes to local electricity networks to encourage uptake of CHP and domestic renewable energy generation.
The government's climate targets:
- 60% reduction in CO2 by 2050
- 20% reduction in CO2 by 2020
- 10% of energy generated by renewables by 2010
- 10GW of combined heat and power (CHP) generation by 2010
- 20% improvement in energy efficiency in households by 2010
