Brown shows his true colours on climate change
Posted by tracy on 26 November 2007.
It's odd at this time of year for so much hot air to be blowing.
Just last week the prime minister promised us 20 per cent of our energy from renewables by 2020. Yet today he told an audience of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) that nuclear power projects "potentially have a role to play in tackling climate change and improving energy security".
Declarations like this threaten to strangle the renewables industry before it can even get close to that 2020 target.
A new nuclear power station has never been built on time and on budget, anywhere in the world. Building a new fleet of new power stations will cost, based on past experience, between £20 billion and £40 billion - and that's ignoring the billions that will be spent on operation, waste management and decommissioning.
If Brown insists on going down the nuclear route, he will squeeze out investment in renewable energy, and worst of all he will not be able to deliver the cuts on carbon emissions that he’s promising.
And I’ve got this funny feeling of deja vu when I hear Brown’s statements about a new runway at Heathrow.
The public consultation on the 3rd runway began last week, yet Brown seems to have made up his mind saying "our prosperity depends on it". That’s a tall order for a runway.
Much like the public consultation on nuclear power, you’re left wondering if this government is capable of listening to the public. Brown certainly doesn’t seem to be listening to climate scientists, nor is he listening to those pointing out the reality gap between what he thinks nuclear power can deliver on climate change and what it actually can. Do we need to shout louder?
