Archived press release

Carbon capture supported - but more needed on emissions cuts

14 June 2005

Government plans to help tackle climate change by capturing carbon dioxide emissions from power stations and storing it under the sea, have been given a cautious welcome by Friends of the Earth. The environmental campaign group said that urgent action is needed to cut greenhouse gas emissions from all sectors, and called on the Government to support a new law making it legally responsible for annual cuts in UK emissions [1].

The Government today announced a £40 million funding package to develop a carbon capture plan which could be up and running within a decade.

Friends of the Earth's climate campaigner Bryony Worthington said:

"Coal is by far the most abundant fossil fuel, but it is also the most polluting. So, technologies such as carbon capture and storage, which may help to clean up emissions, could have a significant role to play in tackling climate change. However, tough decisions on existing coal-fired power stations in the UK must not be ducked. High gas prices have led power companies to switch to coal, but some coal stations are so inefficient and polluting that they should be shut and replaced by a new generation of cleaner plants.

"Carbon dioxide levels have risen under Labour. Tough action is needed if we are to meet the reduction targets that Ministers are committed to. A robust new climate change programme is needed with the Government legally responsible for cutting greenhouse gases. That is why we want to see new laws requiring ministers to cut UK carbon dioxide emissions by three per cent each year. Unless we take this issue seriously, the terrible consequences will be felt for generations to come."

Notes

1. Carbon capture and storage cannot work to fight climate change on its own, however. It must be deployed as part of a wider strategy that will achieve the large scale expansion of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies as well as cuts in emissions from the transport sector. Carbon capture and storage could thus be a useful bridging technology that could help reduce emissions in the next few decades while we increase energy efficiency and expand renewables. It would also be a far preferable approach to the possible alternative of nuclear power, which is also put forward by some groups as a bridging technology, including for developing countries.

2. Last month, Friends of the Earth launched The Big Ask campaign, which challenges the Government to bring in a new climate change law. The law would force the Government to take responsibility for the UK's contribution to global warming by reducing carbon dioxide emissions by three per cent every year.

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust