Archived press release

UK Government intends to water down EU renewables targets - Friends of the Earth comment

13 August 2007

Just a few months after agreeing to introduce a new law on climate change, a secret internal briefing has revealed that the government has no intention of meeting EU targets on renewable power and is instead trying to water them down.

This raises grave doubts about the commitment of the government to delivering on its climate change targets. As other European countries like Germany forge ahead with renewables programmes, it also means that the UK economy risks missing out on billions of pounds of returns from renewables.

The Government must abandon its “can't do” attitude and develop policies to deliver on the renewables target:

• Gordon Brown must personally commit to the EU 20 per cent target his predecessor agreed to.
• Invest 1 billion a year to help homeowners insulate their homes and install micro-renewables.
• Increase support for large scale renewables by adopting demonstrably successful policies such as the feed-in tariffs model practiced by Germany and others.
• Pursue the rapid development of a marine renewables industry, one of the few remaining undeveloped sectors which the UK has a natural advantage for example by speeding development of new technologies from R&D stage through use of capital grants, and championing new technologies such as tidal lagoons which alone could deliver 10% of UK electricity.
• Offshore wind could provide UK electricity demand several times over. Turn the North Sea into an offshore powerhouse by championing finance and regulatory support for a massive European electricity grid which could harness this power.
• Introduce a strong climate change bill to provide business certainty that the UK will reduce emissions year on year.

Senior Climate Campaigner Robin Webster said:

“There is a complete lack of ambition to delivering on renewable energy targets. It would be laughable if it weren't so serious. This is a betrayal of the British people and a complete self-fulfilling prophecy. The renewable sector needs confidence in order to invest and develop and this is very undermining.

The UK has the best wind and marine resources in Europe - a fantastic potential to produce renewable energy. We are a windy country surrounded by waves and tides. Gordon Brown must personally commit his Government to developing a major new renewables industry. He must back the EU 20 per cent target and instruct his civil servants to find ways of meeting it, not ways of getting out of it. He must copy Germany's ambition and use of effective policies like feed-in tariffs which have so successfully increased the production of renewable power. And his must reaffirm the UK's commitment to show leadership on climate change by introducing a strong climate change bill.”

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust