A seasonal flurry of good news for the environment

18 Dec 2008

A number of recent campaign successes have brought Christmas cheer to a leading environmental organisation.

Friends of the Earth Cymru hopes that good green decisions are a sign that politicians are paying more attention to growing concerns about the health of the planet.

Director of Friends of the Earth Cymru, Gordon James, said:

"While there's plenty to worry about with the state of the environment, it's very pleasing to be able to approach Christmas and the end of the year with a flurry of good green news.

"Strong new UK climate change and energy laws, the go-ahead for a major renewable energy project, households in the Valleys being helped with energy efficiency, sensible transport decisions - all are very encouraging moves in the right direction.

"Although Friends of the Earth has had a significant role in all of these successes, a large number of other groups and individuals have also been involved. This reflects the growing concerns that more and more people are having about the health of the planet that sustains us.

"We must remember that all this good green news has happened against a worrying backdrop of rising global greenhouse gas emissions and habitat destruction.

"But hopefully these successes should bring us all a little Christmas cheer, and we'll see a lot more progress in 2009."

Campaign successes enjoyed by Friends of the Earth in recent weeks include:

Climate change law
At the end of November, the Climate Change Bill, which was first put forward by Friends of the Earth, became an Act and is now law. This will oblige the UK to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050. This legislation is the first of its kind anywhere and should put the UK at the forefront on international efforts to tackle climate change.

Energy Bill
On the same day, the Energy Bill received Royal Assent. Friends of the Earth, along with the Renewable Energy Association, successfully inserted an amendment into the Energy Bill for the Government to introduce Feed-In Tariffs. These will give financial incentives to homes, businesses and communities to install small-scale renewable energy systems.

Major offshore windfarm
On December 3rd, it was announced that the large Gwynt y Môr offshore windfarm, 8 miles off the north Wales coast, had been approved. Gwynt y Môr will generate 10 per cent of Wales' electricity demand and will make a significant contribution reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Wales.

Low Carbon Zone
On the same day, the Welsh Assembly Government announced the setting up of Europe's first Low Carbon Zone, which will bring energy efficiency improvements and small-scale renewable energy systems to 40,000 homes in one of Wales' most deprived areas. Low Carbon Zones are a key recommendation of Friends of the Earth's Home Truths report, which was presented to the Assembly Government last year.

No to dual carriageway
The following day, the Welsh Assembly Government announced that they had rejected proposals to turn the A40 in Pembrokeshire into a dual carriageway and would, instead, be pursuing a series of minor upgrades. This is what Friends of the Earth proposed and has been campaigning for.

EU renewable energy directive
On December 9th, Friends of the Earth's campaign to ensure that the UK government fully supported the EU's renewable energy Directive to generate 15 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020 was largely successful. Repeated attempts by some member states (including the UK) to weaken the Renewables Directive were effectively rebutted and the resulting deal is strong with no major loopholes. The so-called "Severn Barrage" clause which would have allowed large projects not finishing until 2022 to be counted was deleted

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