Chairman of UK Sustainable Development Commission predicts legislative repercussions from Kingsnorth protest acquittals.
The UK Sustainable Development Commission chairman has warned that power companies may soon suffer the same legislative and reputational back-lash as big tobacco companies did decades ago. Big energy companies could be liable for prosecution over their contribution to climate change, and the Kingsnorth decision has made such a scenario look increasingly likely.
Speaking at a debate on environmental policy at the Liberal Democrat's conference in Bournemouth yesterday, former director of Friends of the Earth, Jonathon Porritt, said the decision last week to acquit protestors at the Kingsnorth Power Plant in Kent was a sign that power companies could find themselves subject to increasingly tight legislation.
"This has sent tremors through the power companies, tremors through government, and earthquakes through the Daily Mail, which is totally horrified by the idea that civilisation has collapsed," he said. "For a long time energy companies have been warned that a similar situation will emerge in which they become similar to the tobacco companies which for many years sought to deny that they had any corporate culpability to the damage done to personal health."
Campaigners in the UK and the USA have long suggested that big energy companies could be liable for prosecution over their contribution to climate change, Porritt said, and the Kingsnorth decision made such a scenario look increasingly likely. "All energy companies wave that away as if that idea was completely ridiculous, but I can tell you now that they are probably thinking about it a lot harder now then they were," he said.
Six Greenpeace activists were charged with causing £30,000 of damage to the Kingsnorth Power Station in Kent last October. But last week were acquitted of criminal damage with the jury agreeing by a 10 - 2 majority that the "emergency action" could be used to stop damage to the environment. Greenpeace argued that under the Criminal Damages Act of 1971, the campaigners had a lawful excuse to cause the damage as they were trying to prevent even greater damage being caused by the contribution the plant would have to climate change.
Porritt said that he was "astonished" by the Kingsnorth verdict and that it paved the way for environmental legislation that could have a real impact on energy companies in the not too distant future. "This is a really big decision and it will have woken up a lot of people to the potential consequences of climate change in the not too distant future," he said. "We are not talking hundreds of years here, we are talking decades."
Porritt was appointed by the then Prime Minister Tony Blair as chairman of the UK Sustainable Development Commission in July 2000. The organisation is recoginised as the Government's main source of independent advice on sustainability issues.
Also taking part in the environmental policy debate was Liberal Democrat MEP Chris Davis, spokesman for environment and public health, who claimed that all politicians should be prepared to take direct action for issues they believe in.
"If we are on the losing side of something we feel passionate about, and we are prepared to take the risk and consequences of a judgement against us then I don't have a problem taking part in an act of non-violent direct action," he said. "If Gordon Brown decides to go ahead - and it looks like it is down to him now - with Kingsnorth without CSS then I will sit down in front of the bulldozers with other protestors and take what comes to me."
Davies said he is taking the lead on the development of carbon capture and storage technology in the European Parliament and in three weeks time will meet with the Environment Committee to vote on an amendment that he claims if successful "will save HM Treasury hundreds of millions of pounds necessary to support carbon sequestration projects".
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British are "bored" with Climate Change
A new energy report suggests that British people are less environmentally conscious than they were five years ago.
4 out of 10 britons take no action at all to reduce their household carbon emissions, and twice as many people are now "bored" by talk of climate change as in 2005. Experts warn that green fatigue is one of the major reasons as to why there are more cars on the roads, more planes in the sky and no reductions in the mountain of packaging waste. The report reveals that too few people are making an effort to reduce their household CO2 emissions and environmentalists believe the recession is further undermining public commitment.
The report, by market researchers Mintel, shows that many of Britain's 26 million homes fail to make simple adjustments such as switching off lights, turning down thermostats, and switching off appliances rather than leaving them on standby. The findings also reveal that people are less willing to spend money on energy-efficient appliances than they were five years ago. Analysts believe the recession together with a backlash against "extreme" environmentalist pressure has reduced people's enthusiasm to combat climate change.
The report also found that resistance to saving the planet was greater among men; one in four said they think there is too much concern over the environment, compared with one in six women.
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More information on the 2016 definition of "Zero Carbon".
Housing Minister, Grant Shapps announced additional information about the new definition of "Zero Carbon".
The Government plans to investigate setting up a community energy fund which will be used to pay for district heating and renewable energy schemes.
Developers who pay into the fund will not have to install onsite renewables or microgeneration equipment. Many developers have welcomed the flexibility of paying into a fund rather than grappling with renewables on each site.
However, the full definition of 'zero-carbon' has once again been delayed. This is despite a pre-election promise to get the definition of zero carbon finalised “within weeks” of getting into office.
The new Government Housing Minister has recently announced that the coalition will review the level of on-site renewables required - before publishing the final definition of the standard, which all new homes will have to reach after 2016.
In the announcement, the Minister also re-affirmed his commitment to all new homes being zero-carbon from 2016 and confirmed the introduction of the ‘Fabric Energy Efficiency Standard' which requires a minimum standard in relation to insulation levels and air tightness and thermal bridging in buildings.
Zero carbon is required of all Code for Sustainable Homes level six homes. Clarification of what zero carbon will mean is still to be decided.
If you require assistance with your Code for Sustainable Homes level requirements, contact Ecowise - we are a fully accredited Code for Sustainable Homes assessment organisation.
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Pilot Tidal Energy Scheme for North Wales Coast
Conwy County Borough Council has backed plans for a pilot tidal energy scheme off the North Wales Coast.
The £150 million scheme at Llanddulas in North Wales would provide a testing facility for turbine designers and manufacturers, and assess the environmental impact of turbines.
The project was given approval by the council as part of a strategic regeneration strategy for the Conwy coast, prepared by consultant Capita Symonds.
Paul Terry, Capita Symonds, said: "Tidal power will play a key role in providing a sustainable energy source for future generations. The North Wales coast is an ideal place for such a scheme as it’s blessed with a good tidal range and suitable ocean depth." He added that the project could also help protect the coast from rising sea levels, storm surges and coastal erosion.
The regeneration strategy also calls for seven new visitor centres costing £30m should be built at key locations stretching from Conwy to Rhuddlan. But North Wales Tourism chairman Chris Jackson raised doubts over whether the proposals could realistically be funded in the current economic climate. The council’s approval now means that Capita Symonds will seek funding for feasibility studies and investigations to develop a business case for the scheme.
