Other campaign updates

4 February 2010

Update from the Reduce Resource Use Team:

There have recently been several victories for anti-incineration campaigns, many involving Friends of the Earth groups. In December, a planning application for an incinerator in Sinfin, Derbyshire was refused permission by Derby City Council's planning committee. And in October, Oxfordshire County Council refused planning permission for incinerators in Ardley and Sutton Courtenay (although the waste company have appealed this decision). Find out more about these and other campaigns at UKWIN's AGM on 20 March in Chesterfield.

Unfortunately there are still many more Government-funded proposals out there. The General Election in May offers an opportunity to push for more sustainable policies on waste management.

TAKE ACTION: Send an email to all the main political parties asking for a commitment to a moratorium on government funding for incineration projects.

Update on Biofuels:

We now have a new campaigner network group for Friends of the Earth local groups on the use of biofuels in power plants and transport. Primarily an email discussion group, the network's main purpose is to exchange information and co-ordinate campaigning. Click here to join the group or email Kenneth Richter.

Find our more in our new biofuels resource section.

By June 2010, the UK has to pen an action plan for how to deliver the EU Renewable Energy Directive.

TAKE ACTION: Ask Parliament to deliver real renewable energy without resorting to further increasing targets for transport biofuels from crops.

Update on Feed-in Tariffs:

In 2008 Friends of the Earth won a major victory for renewable energy by securing legislation to introduce a UK version of the 'feed-in tariff' policy that has proved so successful in other European countries.

Unfortunately the proposed scheme developed by the Government on the back of this ground-breaking legislation is woefully lacking in ambition. It demands that only 2 per cent of UK electricity should be produced from small-scale renewables by 2020. Along with others, we're advocating reforms to see this amount tripled. Ed Miliband is due to make a decision on the final scheme any day, so please take action urgently.

TAKE ACTION: Email Ed Miliband urgently to say that his proposed 'feed-in tariff' must be much more ambitious.

Update on National Policy Statements from our Planning Experts:

The Government published draft National Policy Statements (NPSs) on energy (including nuclear) and ports in November 2009. These will be used by the Commission (IPC) to approve major projects. We have major concerns that the draft NPSs demonstrate a laid-back approach to climate change, and risk imprisoning the UK into a new high-carbon infrastructure.

The Government has failed to carry out a proper environmental assessment of the policies, and we've written a legal letter to the Secretary of State to set out the issues. We also believe that the Government hasn't consulted properly, nor given enough time to examination of the policies.

Read more about the Government's plans and our response.

TAKE ACTION: Call for a rethink of the consultation process on National Policy Statements.

New geo-engineering policy

Following the Motion passed at the Local Groups Annual Conference in September 2009, a policy paper on geo-engineering has now been completed.