Friends sometimes differ (on high-speed rail and solar)

Mike Childs

16 January 2012

In the Daily Mail today environment writer Fred Pearce said Friends of the Earth and other green groups have lost our way, particularly by not enthusiastically waving the flag for high speed rail. Last Friday George Monbiot accused us of cherry-picking our facts in order to promote solar power.

I have huge respect for both George and Fred. Like me they've been in the business of fighting for the environment for over 20 years. I'm proud of what I've achieved in this time, particularly for leading Friends of the Earth's successful campaign for a Climate Change Act. And I'm impressed by George and Fred's work, particularly in reaching wide audiences with powerfully written accounts of how our environment is being used and abused. But it appears that on high-speed rail and on solar power we will have to differ.

High speed rail

Friends of the Earth has said that we are, in principle, in favour of high speed rail.

But we have also said that in cash-strapped times £32 billion might be better spent instead to address chronic over-crowding of existing rail-lines, improving other public transport, and getting more cars of the road.

The Campaign for Better Transport has detailed the scores of railway lines that could usefully be opened to reduce congestion, cut carbon and improve public transport links. Many of our cities could be improved by significantly investing in public transport. Tram systems should be common place in the UK as they are on the continent but instead they are confined to a handful of places, such as Manchester, Sheffield and Nottingham.

And new platforms and increased platform lengths could be built to could ease over-crowding.

All these option cost money but could deliver significant environmental gains. If the Government can find the money to properly invest in these options and high-speed rail then Friends of the Earth would be delighted. But if choices need to be made, then let's have a proper debate about which offer the greatest benefits rather than simply flag-waving for a high speed railway which, even by the Government's own analysis, won't cut much carbon.

Solar power

We know that solar power is currently a more costly way of cutting carbon than wind or nuclear power, even though the price is falling.

But, in addition to the significant jobs and local economic benefits it produces, we think that there are other benefits from solar. For example, we think there are benefits from engaging householders and communities in the collective effort to tackle climate change, much in the same way that benefits flowed from engaging householders in waste reduction efforts through providing doorstep recycling services. We also think that the presence of solar panels in our neighbourhoods provides visible and positive evidence of change for people that will inspire others to take action.

George said that we shouldn't back solar in his blog on Friday, not least because the cost was disproportionately loaded onto the poor. This is because poorer householders don't have the cash to fit panels themselves and therefore benefit from the subsidy but they have to pay for the feed-in tariff subsidy scheme through a levy on fuel bills.  We said the same thing in a report we published in September where we called for the subsidy to be moved from being paid for by a fuel bill levy to being funded by general taxation (as its sister scheme the Renewable Heat Incentive is). We also said we wanted to see more local authorities and housing association utilising the scheme and ensuring that lower income households benefited. Unfortunately the government's planned cuts in the feed-in tariff will particularly hit these schemes. 

Solar power done well can be socially progressive as well environmentally positive. Our blog within the Guardian highlighted some of the schemes that could demonstrate this, as long as they are not killed off by the Government.

Friends sometimes differ

In these planetary challenging times when there is so much at stake it is not surprising that friends will sometime differ on the way forwards. This is especially since there is more than one way to make the carbon cuts we need. At Friends of the Earth we welcome challenges by people like Fred and George. They say fools never differ. Sometimes friends do.