The UK's new coalition Government of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties has released the agreement on its joint environment policy.
The Conservative-led ruling executive has announced plans to increase the target for energy from renewable sources amongst a raft of new proposals.
According to the document that reveals the agreements reached for the Tory-Lib Dem power-sharing pact: “The parties agree to implement a full programme of measures to fulfil our joint ambitions for a low carbon and eco-friendly economy, including:
- The establishment of a smart grid and the roll-out of smart meters.
- The full establishment of feed-in tariff systems in electricity – as well as the maintenance of banded ROCs.
- Measures to promote a huge increase in energy from waste through anaerobic digestion.
- The creation of a green investment bank.
- The provision of home energy improvement paid for by the savings from lower energy bills.
- Retention of energy performance certificates while scrapping HIPs.
- Measures to encourage marine energy.
- The establishment of an emissions performance standard that will prevent coal-fired power stations being built unless they are equipped with sufficient CCS to meet the emissions performance standard.
- The establishment of a high-speed rail network.
- The cancellation of the third runway at Heathrow.
- The refusal of additional runways at Gatwick and Stansted.
- The replacement of the Air Passenger Duty with a per flight duty.
- The provision of a floor price for carbon, as well as efforts to persuade the EU to move towards full auctioning of ETS permits.
- Measures to make the import or possession of illegal timber a criminal offence.
- Measures to promote green spaces and wildlife corridors in order to halt the loss of habitats and restore biodiversity.
- Mandating a national recharging network for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
- Continuation of the present Government’s proposals for public sector investment in CCS technology for four coal-fired power stations; and a specific commitment to reduce central government carbon emissions by 10 per cent within 12 months.
- We are agreed that we would seek to increase the target for energy from renewable sources,
subject to the advice of the Climate Change Committee.
The document explained: “Liberal Democrats have long opposed any new nuclear construction. Conservatives, by contrast, are committed to allowing the replacement of existing nuclear power stations provided they are subject to the normal planning process for major projects (under a new national planning statement) and provided also that they receive no public subsidy.
“We have agreed a process that will allow Liberal Democrats to maintain their opposition to nuclear power while permitting the government to bring forward the national planning statement for ratification by Parliament so that new nuclear construction becomes possible.
This process will involve:
- the government completing the drafting of a national planning statement and putting it before Parliament;
- specific agreement that a Liberal Democrat spokesman will speak against the planning statement, but that Liberal Democrat MPs will abstain; and
- clarity that this will not be regarded as an issue of confidence.”
RenewableUK, the UK's leading renewable energy trade body, welcomed the announcement of the new coalition Government.
Maria McCaffery, RenewableUK Chief Executive said, "We congratulate the new Prime Minister and his Cabinet members and, as an association, look forward to working closely with all the relevant departments on delivering our renewable energy targets. The key now is to capitalise on our vast renewable energy potentials and on the progress which has already been made, in order to deliver green collar jobs, energy security and carbon emission reductions.
In its pre-election Manifesto published earlier this year, RenewableUK identified financial support, grid, planning and skills and supply chain as four key policy challenges for the wind and marine technologies it represents. The Manifesto concludes that overcoming these obstacles could, by 2020, bring into existence a world class renewables industry, providing 70,000 jobs and a full third of the nation’s electricity – up from 5,000 jobs and 7% of electricity today.
Commenting on the Coalition Agreement, McCaffery added: “We are delighted that the agreement seeks to increase the target for energy from renewable sources, and are eagerly anticipating further details on the relationship between the renewables obligation and feed-in tariff mechanisms. This is essential in order to maintain investor confidence.
“We are also pleased with how substantial the set of environmental policies is even at this early stage. During the life of this Parliament and according to the Agreement we could be looking at smart meters, the creation of a green investment bank and measures to encourage marine energy, which are all initiatives fully endorsed by RenewableUK.”
Juliet Davenport, CEO of Good Energy, the UK's only dedicated 100% renewable electricity supplier, said: “Obviously it’s been a long time since we had a coalition in this country so I think everyone is waiting with bated breath to see what unfolds in the coming weeks.
“As part of our work to meet representatives of all political parties, we’ve established positive relationships with both the Conservative and Lib Dem energy teams and we very much hope to take that forward as they go into Government.
“Both parties have supported Good Energy’s policies to encourage more energy entrepreneurs as well as campaigns for the fairer treatment of microgenerators and for the fact that it's simply not right to expect renewable electricity customers to pay for carbon capture and storage.
“We want to see energy policy move on from the dithering and lack of ambition that characterised the previous Government’s approach and see a firm commitment from both partners to rewarding individuals’ and businesses’ efforts to prioritise and deal with climate change before it is too late.”
Friends of the Earth said urgent action to create a low-carbon economy must be a key priority for the new coalition Government.
The environmental campaign group said promises to develop a greener future are a significant area of common ground in both party manifestos - and that this must form the basis of a carbon-cutting strategy in both the Queen's Speech and the Budget.
Friends of the Earth's Executive Director Andy Atkins said: "Both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats have promised to develop a low-carbon future - our new coalition Government is a golden opportunity to make this a reality and reap the enormous economic benefits of investing in green energy and slashing energy waste.
"The Queen's Speech and Budget must contain significant measures to tackle climate change and demonstrate that the new Government has the determination to lead the country towards a greener future.
"The starting point must be a tougher target for tackling climate change. Our new Ministers must agree to cut UK emissions by at least 42 per cent by 2020 - the minimum scientists say is needed to play our part in preventing dangerous climate change."
Following analysis of policies included in both the Liberal Democrat and Conservative manifesto and policy pledges, Friends of the Earth says that, as a minimum, the new Government should work together to take real green action by:
- Announcing two new green laws in the Queen's Speech: an Energy Bill to boost green energy development, and a Housing and Local Government Bill to deliver more energy efficient homes and ensure local councils play their part in cutting emissions by establishing local carbon budgets;
- Putting the development of a low-carbon economy at the heart of the Budget, including the establishment of a Green Investment Bank, a fund to create new green jobs and the introduction of a supermarket regulator.
- Immediately announce plans to scrap expansion at Heathrow airport (and preferably all airport expansion).
Friends of the Earth is also making the following key demands of the new Government:
- A new law which will tackle the greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation caused by the UK's dependence on imported feeds for meat and dairy - and which will support better UK farming and domestic feed production;
- That the UK plays a leading role in securing an international agreement on cutting emissions where those responsible make the deepest cuts first, and developing countries are supported to grow in a low-carbon way.
Post a comment