ENERGY UK: a response to the 2007 Energy White Paper

[GerryWolff]

Since 2001, I have been researching energy supplies and ways of cutting emissions of CO2 and putting the information on the "From Greenhouse to Green House" website ( http://www.mng.org.uk/gh/index.htm ). Now these ideas have mutated into a shorter and hopefully more coherent report, "ENERGY UK", which can be downloaded from http://www.mng.org.uk/gh/campaigning/energy_UK.html . In effect, this report is a commentary on the 2007 Energy White Paper, concentrating mainly on what I see as shortcomings in it.

The main points that I have made are these:

* Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of the UN, has said that climate change is at least as big a threat as war but the Government’s response has not, so far, been sufficient to meet the challenge. There is a need for a much greater sense of urgency and more joined-up thinking in UK energy policies.

* A coherent system of carbon rationing, including Personal Carbon Allowances, is needed to provide the right framework of incentives. There may also be a case for other incentives such as feed-in tariffs.

* The Climate Change Bill needs to be strengthened. We should be aiming for cuts of at least 90% by 2050, there should be an annual budget for CO2 emissions, aviation and shipping must be brought within the scope of the Bill, the carbon footprint of UK imports should count as part of our emission, carbon offsets should not be used as a means of meeting UK targets for reductions in CO2 emissions, and an independent body should take overall responsibility for administering the UK programme of emissions reductions.

* The problem of CO2 emissions from buildings will not be solved by raising standards for new buildings. We need a vigorous programme of "zero-carbon eco-renovation" to bring emissions from existing buildings down to zero or nearly so. Demonstrators are needed to show how this can be done with different types of building.

* Renewable sources of electricity, with conservation of electricity, should be developed much more vigorously, following the lead of countries like Germany. There are more than enough renewable sources of electricity to meet our current and future needs and there is absolutely no need for nuclear power, with all its many headaches ( http://www.mng.org.uk/gh/no_nukes.htm ). Non-nuclear low-carbon scenarios can provide greater security of supplies than we have now. Hidden subsidies for nuclear power should be removed. When hidden costs are included, nuclear power is one of the most expensive sources of electricity.

* Given the huge potential of the DESERTEC proposals ( http://www.trec-uk.org.uk/ ), governments throughout Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (EUMENA) should take whatever steps are needed to make them a reality.

* Given the major advantages and modest cost of establishing a EUMENA-wide or Europe-wide HVDC Supergrid and a single market for electricity, governments throughout these regions should collaborate to make them a reality.

* Greater support is needed for public transport and for walking and cycling. There is some scope for using bio-fuels in transport but there is probably much greater potential in the use of renewable electricity as the main means of powering trains and road vehicles. Since there is little prospect of substantial reductions in CO2 emissions from planes, there is absolutely no case for expanding facilities for air travel in the UK. Clever use of wind power and other renewable sources of energy, can largely eliminate CO2 emissions from shipping.

Gerry Wolff

+44 (0)1248 712962, http://www.trec-uk.org.uk , http://www.mng.org.uk/gh/