Greenpeace and the WWF are calling for the British Government’s energy policy to be in line with the EU’s target for renewable energy by 2020. This however is looking unlikely due to the building of new unabated coal-fired power stations in the UK.
The high emissions from new coal plants would severely undermine progress towards targets under the Climate Change Bill. Allowing new unabated coal stations would also damage the UK’s credibility as a main player in international climate negotiations.
Carbon Capture and Storage (C.S.S.) will help reductions that are needed to avoid climate chaos. However, the technology has not yet been proven on an integrated power plant and it may not be technically possible. Building capture ready stations now would therefore impose unacceptable risks to the taxpayer, who may well end up footing the bill for any future refit.
Greenpeace and the WWF are calling the British Government to focus on renewable energy efficiency, whilst introducing greenhouse gas emission standards for all new power plants. New legal standards should be set to limit the CO2 emissions for all new plants that have yet to secure planning permission
Any pre planned CCS demonstration plants should be established solely for technical reasons and to also form part of a clear European strategy to assess the various technical options. It is vital for the planets future that regulations are established through independent monitoring to ensure that the storage of all CO2 is safe, and environmentally sound.
