What is the government doing that is new and additional to stimulate the economy by spending on the environment? This report by the New Economics Foundation shows that new funding for greening the economy amounts to just 0.6 per cent of the UK’s total stimulus package. Gordon Brown recently claimed to the House of Commons liaison committee that around 10 per cent of the UK package was directed towards "environmentally important technologies".
The Conservatives Low Carbon Economy paper published today is focused on three important elements of energy policy, relevant to the politics of the current energy debate. They are:
Energy Security
A policy beyond the EU Emissions Trading Scheme for coal
Kick-starting Renewable Energy
In this briefing we analyse their policies and conclude that, whilst the Tory proposals are not the final word and can be improved, they do put the weakness of the government's position in focus.
This briefing paper outlines Greenpeace's plans for new measures to tackle fuel poverty, promote energy efficiency, stimulate the economy and help to meet the
UK’s targets on climate change.
In the next 20 years a substantial amount of the
UK’s existing electricity generation capacity will
close. How this capacity is replaced will have a
major impact on the UK’s ability to meet its
international and domestic carbon emissions
reduction targets.
To explore this issue WWF-UK and Greenpeace
commissioned Pöyry energy consultants to look
at the implications for the UK electricity sector of
meeting the UK’s share of the EU renewable
energy target. This requires the UK to produce
15% of its energy from renewables by 2020.
The need for a bold response from a nation that considers itself a world leader in tackling climate change has never been clearer, yet on too many fronts, the UK government seems intent upon repeating the mistakes of the past. From runways to new coal fired power stations, the government’s plans for resurrecting the icons that are the principle cause of climate change continue, despite the breadth of opposition marshalled against them.
This report details the range of existing and emerging risks that BP and Shell face from their expansion of production in the Canadian tar sands. We believe the risks are significant for BP and Shell shareholders, and that investors should question the companies more deeply on their tar sands strategies and call for greater transparency regarding the assessment of the mid to long term viability of these projects.
The science of climate change is unequivocal – to avoid catastrophic impacts, industrialised countries like the UK must make steep and urgent reductions in their carbon dioxide emissions. This means that it is unacceptable to build new unabated coal-fired power stations in the UK.
This joint statement from Greenpeace, WWF, Friends of the Earth and the RSPB calls on the government to:
The demand for timber from the international marketplace, including the UK, is a key driver in this destruction. This timber can be used for high value products like flooring or end up as ‘throwaway' products like plywood. In recent years, Greenpeace has repeatedly exposed the use of illegal and unsustainable plywood from the threatened rainforests of the Brazilian Amazon, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea being used as hoardings around UK construction sites.
This guide sets out why companies must respond to this issue as a matter of urgency.
It shows how to avoid unsustainable plywood and also provides a step-by-step guide to obtaining socially and environmentally responsible timber, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Buying FSC certified timber is the best way to ensure your timber comes from responsible sources.
If the government is serious about renewables and energy efficiency, Britain doesn’t need to build major new power stations to keep the lights on, according to this report released today by independent energy experts Pöyry.
