Going for Kyoto : It is right to aim high even if America lags
" For the same reason we should not wait for the US to wake up
fully to its responsibilities. Mr Bush's first post-Enron energy
statement yesterday was a big disappointment. Instead of
recanting and adopting the Kyoto pledges he is offering
business tax incentives to achieve a reduction in greenhouse
gas omissions that is likely to fall woefully short of the 33%
reduction sought at Kyoto".
Leader
Friday February 15, 2002
The Guardian
There is no contesting the need for a big increase in the use of
renewable energy resources like wind and sea power and for an
equal need to use energy more efficiently, as urged in
yesterday's report to the prime minister by the performance and
innovation unit.
Britain has more potential for exploiting
renewables than any other country in Europe and - with the
government now backing it - there need be no problem about
achieving the target of 20% of electricity generation from
renewables by 2020, as long as investment is available.
The
target of a 40% improvement in domestic energy efficiency is
more difficult, but achievable with fiscal incentives. These
policies alone will not deliver the Kyoto commitments to reduce
greenhouse emissions, but they are needed whether we have
international obligations or not.
The days of oil self-sufficiency, thanks to the North Sea
bonanza, will be replaced by increasing reliance on imported oil
and gas, much of it from potentially unstable regimes in the
Middle East. Although the report has kept options open about
nuclear power (as well as coal), it is unlikely that the markets
will be busting keen to finance any new nuclear stations,
especially if they are required to finance the cost of
decommissioning. All this still leaves a lot of work to be done to
clean up carbon emissions from cars, aircraft and coal-fired
power stations.
If there is one serious criticism of the report, it is its suggestion
that the speed at which Britain moves is dependent on
international cooperation. This is a recipe for moving at the pace
of the slowest participant. Industry is not unnaturally worried that
the price of being too progressive will be diminished
competitiveness. But much of the extra cost to businesses
would be offset by the benefits of Britain being a pioneer in the
development of technology and techniques that could then be
sold to the rest of the world.
For the same reason we should not wait for the US to wake up
fully to its responsibilities. Mr Bush's first post-Enron energy
statement yesterday was a big disappointment. Instead of
recanting and adopting the Kyoto pledges he is offering
business tax incentives to achieve a reduction in greenhouse
gas omissions that is likely to fall woefully short of the 33%
reduction sought at Kyoto. Without the US on board, it will be
impossible to fulfil the Kyoto targets (unless the US achieves its
targets perversely by building more nuclear capacity). But that is
no reason to dilute our own ambitions. This is one area where
Britain, and the rest of Europe, can show a moral lead that the
US could be shamed into following.
guardian.co.uk |
