Will the coalition really be the "greenest government ever"?
21 June 2010
Will the coalition really be the “greenest government ever,” as our new PM declared when asking his ministerial departments to cut their carbon emissions by 10 per cent this coming year?
The encouraging news is the low-carbon agenda (energy saving and renewable energy measures), the favouring of high-speed rail over air travel (no third runway at Heathrow for a start), and curbs on coal-fired power stations.
Chris Huhne, the new Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, is also opposed to nuclear power. He told The Times, “This is an island surrounded by sea; we can use offshore tidal power, wind power, and we are sitting on enormous stocks of coal. We ought to be able to put together a policy that is non-carbon and independent from foreign sources.”
Regarding the European Commission proposal to increase the emissions reduction target by 10% by 2020, Huhne said the new government believes that “a move to 30% is achievable, right for the climate and right for our economies as Europe focuses on a sustainable economic recovery…We can put Europe ahead of the game by taking new low carbon economic opportunities.”
Could Chris Huhne and the new coalition government be doing more? Although they will no longer subsidise nuclear power, nuclear plants could still be built. They are also planning further fossil fuel extraction and there is some concern about offshore mining. They have also failed to commit to a Labour plan to make all new homes zero carbon by 2016.
How green do you think they should go?
