Citizens’ Climate Lobby believes in the art of the possible, we seek a dialogue with whoever holds the reins of government to build political will for a liveable world. Who knows what the next few months may bring, it is possible that we may have a Conservative Prime Minister who will be ideologically opposed to Net Zero.
We may be faced with a government claiming that renewable energy is too expensive and we need to support fossil fuel expansion. If this happens we should point out the success of the latest government Contracts for Difference (CFD) auction. Carbon Brief reports that the auction secured “a record 11GW of new renewable energy capacity that will generate electricity four times more cheaply than current gas prices…..The 10.8GW of capacity in total can be expected to generate around 42TWh of electricity, around 13% of current UK generation and enough to cover the usage of over half or UK homes – or all the additional supply needed to run electric vehicles by the end of the decade.
Yesterday a statement from the Conservative Environment Network, (CEN), which has the support of 143 Conservative MPs, pointed out that…
“People will debate the events of recent months and the manner of his departure, but Boris Johnson leaves office with a strong record on the environment. He and his ministers have recognised not just the necessity of restoring nature and delivering net zero, but also the huge opportunities for boosting UK security and prosperity from doing so. He is to be applauded for the UK’s leadership in seizing the green opportunities of Brexit, raising global ambitions on climate change at COP26, and ramping up clean energy production.
“His successor needs to stay the course and make the environment a key priority for the government, as it clearly is for the public. With a cost of living crisis and a war in Europe that is stoking food and energy insecurity, it is imperative that the next Prime Minister pursues policies that meet these challenges and protect the environment. This will be good for jobs, good for growth, and good for the UK’s place in the world.”
CEN has also commented on the Energy Security Bill….
“Fossil fuels are not secure, affordable, or sustainable. Thanks to new technology and cheap renewables, we can transition away from them and get our bills under control. This legislation will upgrade our energy system and position the UK as a first mover in new globally significant industries. The pace and ambition of energy market reform must be accelerated in response to the cost of living and energy security crises.
“I’m pleased to see the Bill include measures to improve home insulation rates such as reducing the threshold for energy suppliers to take part in the ECO scheme. Energy efficiency is the crucial but missing ingredient to the government’s energy security strategy. We need the Treasury to put in place new incentives to help people finance home upgrades.”
Let’s continue to ask the Government, of whatever political hue or party, to continue to take the perils of climate change seriously and move towards a just transition to a decarbonised world with Climate Income.