“A Conservative Treasury will drive green growth.” So said George Osborne to voters before the election. Like David Cameron, he made many green promises.
Today our investigation exposes a conspiracy by influential Conservative Parliamentarians to attack Britain’s growing renewables industry, and weaken national efforts to fight climate change.
To put these revelations in context, we’ve compiled a little list of the 10 ways that Osborne has broken his promise and is damaging the green economy, and setting back efforts on global warming.
1) A major new ‘dash for gas’ to increase our reliance on burning polluting, imported and expensive fossil fuels
A leaked private letter the Chancellor wrote to Energy Secretary Ed Davey – that was leaked - demanded that he help turn the UK into a global “gas hub,” support measures to incentivise gas burning, and oppose limits on carbon emissions from power generation.
This followed an announcement – sneaked out late on Friday night on the weekend eve of the budget – that gas-fired power stations would be exempt from new rules aimed at making power stations more efficient and less polluting.
Crucially, under the Chancellor’s plans, old fossil fuel power stations closing over the next couple of years would be replaced by new polluting power stations instead of cleaner ones. The government have said they’re looking at 20 new gas plants.
The government’s climate advisers have warned a new ‘dash for gas,’ would mean we wouldn’t be able to hit carbon targets.
2) Fighting to water down UK efforts to curb climate change
In high-level government discussions about the level of ambition for the UK on carbon cutting, George Osborne has consistently sought to water down old carbon targets, and oppose new ones outright.
Two examples of this: right now Osborne is trying to stop the introduction of a new requirement – called for by the government’s own climate advisers, as well as Parliament’s Energy Select Committee – to commit to carbon-free electricity by 2030. He is also opposing a requirement that the aviation industry should play its part towards meeting national carbon targets. (Right now this industry receives special treatment, and along with the shipping industry is exempt from the Climate Change Act. David Cameron will soon decide if this special treatment should continue.)
3) Cuts to wind energy budgets, and plans for further cuts to clean energy soon
Following a couple of major public spats with his Lib Dem Cabinet colleagues, George Osborne secured a 10% cut in budgets for onshore wind farms – although he was seeking even steeper cuts of 25%.
Right now negotiations are on-going between Cameron and Clegg about levels of financial support for offshore wind, and it has been widely reported that the Chancellor wants to cut these budgets further and then put a cap on clean energy spending overall.
This could kill off plans for new offshore wind farms in the UK altogether, and see the UK lose out on billions of investment in new industry and jobs.
4) Stripped the Green Investment Bank of powers to borrow and lend
In stripping the Green Investment Bank of the ability to borrow and lend, the UK has lost out on billions of pounds of private investment in low-carbon industries that could have been raised if the Bank was properly equipped to do its job.
5) U-turn on airport expansion, and new plans for new runways in South East
Despite a totemic promise before the election that a Conservative government would not expand airports in the South East of England, and despite the Prime Minister and “coalition agreement” ruling out new runways at Gatwick, Stansted and Heathrow, all of these options were put back under consideration by George Osborne.
6) Top Cabinet jobs for MPs campaigning against wind farms, and cosy relationships with fossil fuel lobbyists
In the Cabinet reshuffle this year, Owen Paterson - a man reported to be sceptical about climate science, and a vociferous opponent of wind farms – was made Environment Secretary. Avidly pro-fracking, he will now preside over regulation of the shale gas industry in the UK.
Similarly, John Hayes – an MP with a record of campaigning against wind farms – was made Energy Minister. Within weeks of taking up post, he gave front page interviews calling for an end to approvals for new wind farms in the UK – causing another public spat with his Lib Dem boss, Ed Davey.
Both key allies of George Osborne, it was widely seen that the new postings were made to mark a clear shift in the government’s position on clean energy and climate change – and consequently investor confidence in renewable energy in the UK was shaken.
7) Tax breaks for the most polluting industries to encourage drilling and fracking
Over the past couple of years, Osborne has offered billions in tax cuts to the oil and gas industry to incentivise more oil and gas drilling off our coastline.
In addition to this he also recently promised there will soon be new tax breaks to encourage fracking.
8) Cuts to solar power budgets – and the loss of thousands of green jobs
In mishandling cuts in the levels of support offered to Britain’s solar industry, the government has presided over the loss of thousands of green jobs and damaged confidence in the whole framework for supporting clean energy investment in the UK.
9) Deep-sea drilling in pristine wildlife habitats off Scotland
In addition to tax breaks to incentivise deep-sea drilling off Scotland’s coast, the government has green-lighted a number of drilling projects so risky that even BP privately admitted they could cause an oil spill worse than the one seen in the Gulf of Mexico, in a precious wildlife area near the Shetland Islands.
10) A massive new road building programme
Dozens of controversial road building schemes have been revived that could decimate swathes of British countryside, and see a big jump in emissions from cars. There’s a map of planned projects here.
