Drax power station

Reacting to news that Tony Blair has written to EU leaders warning that the world has ten to fifteen years to avert catastrophic climate change, John Sauven of Greenpeace said:

"Blair's hypocrisy takes your breath away. He finally grasps that we don't have long to stop catastrophic climate change but in his decade in power CO₂ emissions have gone up in Britain. He says he wants to strengthen the European emissions trading scheme, but last year he was suing Brussels to weaken it. He's done nothing to combat aviation or the trend for gas-guzzling cars. He says we need new nuclear power stations, but they wouldn't even be built before his ten to fifteen year deadline and wouldn't defeat global warming anyway. What we really need is new leadership in Britain that is committed to action, not rhetoric. Blair's legacy will be failure on climate change."

Ends

For more contact Greenpeace on 0207 865 8255

Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant in Cumbria

Former New Labour advisor says Blair lied to Commons committee

Reacting to Tony Blair's comments this morning in support of new nuclear power stations, Greenpeace executive director Stephen Tindale said:

"Tony Blair wants his legacy to be new nuclear power stations, but his obsession threatens to scupper this country's renewable energy industry. He wants to tie the country into a centralised energy generation system that relies on huge, inefficient, polluting power stations instead of pushing money towards clean cutting edge technologies."

Mr Tindale, a former New Labour environment adviser, added:

"Mr Blair claims he's only just changed his mind about nuclear power, but I know for a fact he's being dishonest. He's been pro-nuclear for at least ten years. I know because I used to be his party's adviser on green issues. His casual misleading of MPs in symptomatic of his campaign to foist new nuclear stations on Britain. The facts simply don't seem to matter to this Prime Minister.

"Germany is phasing out nuclear power and installing more wind power every year than Britain's total capacity. The UK government has a chance to follow this lead, but it seems sense will only prevail once Blair leaves Downing Street. The energy debate is too important to be decided by a lame duck."

Commenting on the soon to be published energy review, the Prime Minister this morning told the Commons Liaison Committee he had changed his mind since the last White Paper on energy policy in 2003. "Whereas we left the question open and we were very sceptical at that point, certainly, I'll be totally honest with you, I've changed my mind," he said.


Greenpeace press office - 0207 865 8255

Publication date: February 2005

Summary
Uk Prime Minister Tony Blair has publicly stated that tackling climate change and African poverty are to be his two top priorities during the UK's presidencies of the G8 and the EU. Blair has repeatedly spoken of his climate change commitments while failing to reduce the UK's climate changing CO2 emissions since coming to power in 1997. In the run up to the G8 in July, Blair needs to match his rhetoric with action.

Stephen Tindale, Executive Director, Geenpeace UK

Commenting on Labour's 2005 manifesto commitment to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by 20 percent on 1990 levels by 2010, Greenpeace Executive Director Stephen Tindale said:

"We're pleased this manifesto commitment hasn't been abandoned, but Blair is in serious danger of breaking it. There are no commitments to policies that might actually meet the target. Britain's carbon-dioxide emissions have gone up since 97. Blair has called climate change the gravest environmental threat we face, but he is yet to prove he's serious about fighting it."

In September 2004 Mr Blair described climate change as, "A challenge so far-reaching in its impact and irreversible in its destructive power that it alters radically human existence."

Labour's commitment to reduce CO2 by 20% on 1990 levels was also made in 1997 and 2001. At present British CO2 emissions are rising. Last month it was confirmed the annual total had gone from 14% below 1990 levels to 12%.

Stephen Tindale, who as a New Labour advisor wrote the Party's environmental policy prior to the 1997 election, added: "Drastic action is needed immediately if Blair is to live up to his rhetoric. Instead of re-stating previous targets and claiming he'll continue to take an international lead on the issue, we wanted to see commitments to specific, radical action."

Earlier this year Greenpeace published a 10 point action plan - key steps that Tony Blair must take to fight climate change. They are:

1. Ensure the rapid expansion of renewable energy. The government should fund power connections for offshore energy. This will support the development of wind, wave and tidal power.
2. Support massive expansion of combined heat and power generation. All new housing developments, public and commercial buildings should be required to include combined heat and power generation plants for heating, hot water and electricity. Government should fund changes to local electricity networks to make uptake of combined heat and power and domestic renewable energy generation possible.
3. Set tough environmental standards for all new buildings. Regulations should ensure that all new buildings are built to zero emission standards. Buildings should incorporate renewable power such as solar PV and solar water heating and state-of-the-art energy efficiency.
4. End fuel poverty and encourage energy efficiency. Set high energy efficiency standards for social housing and provide financial incentives and grants to encourage energy efficiency improvements in existing buildings. Energy efficient buildings should be eligible for reductions in Council Tax and Stamp Duty. In addition, there should be zero VAT on energy efficient products.
5. End all government subsidies for dirty fuel industries immediately. The government must stop all subsidies for oil, coal and nuclear power - including export credit guarantees - and invest this money instead in renewable energy schemes.
6. Drop legal proceedings against the European Union to allow UK industry to emit substantially more CO2 under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.
7. Make a clear commitment to increase the cost of petrol and diesel. The government needs to send a clear message to car manufacturers and the public that current levels of CO2 emissions and pollution from transport is unacceptable if we are to combat climate change. Revenue raised should be used to improve public transport.
8. Make Vehicle Excise Duty progressive. Better known as car tax, Vehicle Excise Duty should be dramatically increased for inefficient vehicles such as SUVs. Incentives should be provided for state-of-the-art fuel efficient vehicles.
9. Withdraw the Airports White Paper. The government should include aviation in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. There should also be a tax on aviation fuel and an increase in air passenger duty to reflect the true environmental impact of flying. These measures would help reduce air travel and make new runways unnecessary.
10. Fund hydrogen pilot projects. The government should fund local authorities to pilot the infrastructure needed to move to a hydrogen economy.

For more information contact Greenpeace on 0207 865 8255

Climate change: house flooded

Greenpeace and the political action group ACT today accused Tony Blair and 123 Labour MPs of 'dangerously muddled and hypocritical thinking' following their rejection in Parliament of measures to improve energy efficiency in Britain which they had previously supported (1).

Greenpeace and ACT have published an advertisement in the national press highlighting the gulf between Mr Blair's rhetoric on global warming and his record of inaction. The advert states: 'No wonder people don't trust politicians!' before listing the MPs who obeyed the Prime Minister's instruction to oppose the measures.

Greenpeace Executive Director Stephen Tindale said: "Tony Blair's fine words almost convinced us that he was serious about tackling climate change. Unfortunately his actions show that he is, as his friend George Bush might say, all hat and no cattle. If the PM can't even deliver a serious drive on energy efficiency, he can kiss goodbye to his aspiration to lead the fight against global warming."

Earlier this year Blair warned that the threat from climate change was 'probably the single most important issue that we face.' In addition, his government claims to be concerned about fuel poverty. The energy efficiency measures he now opposes would have reduced greenhouse gases emitted from British homes while helping some 30,000 British people who die needlessly every winter because they can't afford to heat their poorly-insulated houses. This figure will almost certainly increase as domestic energy prices rise."

The failure on domestic energy efficiency comes less than a fortnight after the government capitulated to CBI lobbying on the European emissions trading scheme. Industry will now be allowed to emit as much in future years as it has in the past, meaning that the much vaunted trading scheme will deliver no real benefit to the climate.

Stephen Tindale added: "You have to wonder how Tony Blair is going to put climate change at the centre of his G8 and EU presidencies, as he says he will, when he can't even get serious here at home."

For more information contact Greenpeace on 07801 212967

Notes on the amendments

1. Two amendments to the housing bill proposed by the house of lords:

Ammendment 190 - "Decent homes standard for social housing
(1) The Secretary of State shall ensure that by 2016 all social housing shall as far as is reasonably practicable achieve a SAP rating of no lower than 65.
(2) In this section "social housing" means housing let by a registered social landlord or a local housing authority."

Ammendment 191 - "Improvements in energy efficiency

(1) For the purposes of-
(a) improving the energy efficiency of residential accommodation;
(b) increasing the comfort level of occupants of residential accommodation; and
(c) alleviating fuel poverty,

the Secretary of State shall take reasonable steps to ensure an increase in residential energy efficiency of at least 20% by 2010 based upon 2000 levels.

2. In this section-
"fuel poverty" has the same meaning as in the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000 (c. 31); and

"residential energy

(1) the setting of an energy efficiency target for residential homes. The target is an 'increase in residential energy efficiency of at least 20% by 2010 based upon 2000 levels.' (Amendment 191)
(2) commits the government to ensure that by 2016 all social housing have insulation, heating and ventilation standards that are at least equivalent to those required in newly built homes by the present day Building Regulations. (Amendment 190)

Download the Greenpeace briefing: Housing Bill Amendments (pdf)
Download the Greenpeace and ACT advertisement (pdf) that ran in the Guardian.