Alternative energy doubts over UK climate report
26th May 2013,
Reports that the UK Government is to pursue an ambitious EU carbon capping target is welcomed by a development charity - which warns that a failure to commit to alternative energy raises doubts.
Energy & Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey is expected this week to call on the EU to commit to carbon dioxide reductions of 40 per cent by 2030, rising to 50 per cent if there is a global climate deal.
Chancellor George Osborne, however, has opposed setting a clear target for decarbonising the UK energy sector by switching to renewable fuels. He is believed instead to favour increasing the production of natural gas - which is cleaner than coal, but still a significant pollutant.
Christian Aid Senior Political Advisor Barry Johnston said it was encouraging that the UK Government and Ed Davey were taking a leading position on carbon capping, but warned it could be an empty gesture.
'The UK Energy Bill is passing through Parliament and we recognise the difficult negotiations that are taking place,' he said. 'However, the targets should be decided by science, not politics.
'In setting targets, the Government needs to say how they will be achieved. And this means making sure we get our own house in order. That is why a carbon capping target should be matched by a decarbonisation target in the UK Energy Bill, and the Government pushing for binding EU targets on renewable energy and energy efficiency.
'Without this, announcing targets is just more hot air. And we don't need any more of that. Developing countries are already suffering from drought, flood and disasters, and Europe itself is starting to feel the economic impact of our changing climate. All the indications are that we will need to be even more ambitions in our actions and we hope that the UK Government respond accordingly.'
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Notes
1. Christian Aid works in some of the world's poorest communities in around 50 countries at any one time. We act where there is great need, regardless of religion, helping people to live a full life, free from poverty. We provide urgent, practical and effective assistance in tackling the root causes of poverty as well as its effects.
2. Christian Aid is a member of the Enough Food For Everyone IF campaign, a collection of more than 180 agencies in the UK that is calling on governments to address some of the key factors causing global hunger, which at present afflicts nearly a billion people. As well as providing aid, it wants governments to stop big companies dodging tax in poor countries, prevent poor farmers being forced off their land, particularly by biofuel concerns, and insist on greater governmental and business transparency.
3.Christian Aid has a vision, an end to global poverty, and we believe that vision can become a reality. We believe that the underlying causes of poverty were made by, and can be ended by, human action. Our strategy for building the power of us all to end poverty is embodied in a new report 'Partnership for Change': http://www.christianaid.org.uk/Images/2012_strategy.pdf <https://portal.christianaid.org.uk/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.christianaid.org.uk/Images/2012_strategy.pdf>
4. Christian Aid is a member of the ACT Alliance, a global coalition of more than 130 churches and church-related organisations that work together in humanitarian assistance, advocacy and development. Further details at http://actalliance.org <https://portal.christianaid.org.uk/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://actalliance.org/>
5. Follow Christian Aid's newswire on Twitter: http://twitter.com/caid_newswire <https://portal.christianaid.org.uk/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://twitter.com/caid_newswire>
5. For more information about the work of Christian Aid visit http://www.christianaid.org.uk <https://portal.christianaid.org.uk/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.christianaid.org.uk/> blog comments powered by Disqus
