Corporate Leaders Group On Climate Change urge political parties to work together urgently, towards higher energy efficiency.
Business leaders including directors at Tesco, Lloyds TSB and other top high street names have urged Gordon Brown to drop his slowly, slowly approach to tackling global warming and go for "transformational change", saying the prime minister should not be held back by fears over the current financial crisis.
But the involvement in the initiative of BAA, owner of Heathrow, and the energy firm E.ON angered environmentalists, who said the companies that encouraged flying and built coal-fired power stations showed "hypocrisy of the purest strain". A letter signed by some of the biggest figures in British business, to be sent today to Brown and to David Cameron and Nick Clegg, said the party leaders should work together urgently on measures such as higher energy efficiency standards, support for low-carbon technology and the auctioning of carbon allowances.
The companies, all members of The Prince of Wales's Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change, said they saw their own business opportunities in being at the head of a green revolution, but wanted regulatory certainty to help them plan their investments better. The letter said: "Climate change poses global social, environmental and economic risks and demands a transformational change in how we manage our economy. Incremental change will not do.
"We have addressed this letter to the leaders of all political parties with representation in the houses of parliament with a view to encouraging a cross-political consensus on the scale and speed of change required, and a constructive political debate on how this can be achieved." The note was signed by Lucy Neville-Rolfe, director of corporate and legal affairs at Tesco, and Ian Cheshire, boss at B&Q owner Kingfisher, but also Paul Golby, the chief executive of E.ON UK and Colin Matthews at BAA.
Greenpeace said the signatures of the German-owned energy group and Spanish-owned airports operator were inappropriate. "This is hypocrisy of the purest strain. It's astounding that E.ON would call for action on climate change when they're agitating to build Britain's first coal-fired power stations in decades. It makes an environmentalist's jaw drop to see the BAA logo on this letter when they're trying to expand airports across the nation," said Ben Stewart, the Greenpeace communications director.
"This is like Howard Marks calling for a crackdown on pot. If the executives of these companies want action on climate change they should immediately lock themselves in their boardrooms and not come out until Kingsnorth and Heathrow expansion have been dropped."
The business group, coordinated by a Cambridge university programme for industry, said Brown should assume a legally binding deal on a 30% cut in greenhouse gas emissions will be signed at the 2009 United Nations climate change summit in Copenhagen. It tells political leaders problems in the financial markets and an economic slowdown cannot stand in the way of action on climate change.
"The global economic slowdown may cause some to question whether the UK can afford to act so boldly, but we believe action cannot be delayed, and furthermore that decisive action will stimulate economic activity and job creation in certain sectors," it said.
Cheshire denied the letter implied the signatories did not believe the government was serious enough about climate change. "No, its the reverse," he said. "The government needs some space to implement change and we are showing our support for new measures."
Backstory
Business leaders calling for regulation could be viewed as turkeys voting for Christmas, but the primary aim of this initiative is to save themselves. Some of this is to do with reputation: it is good to be seen leading a green revolution when your customers accept climate change is of huge importance. But chief executives also hate uncertainty and find it difficult to make long-term investment decisions when they do not have a good idea of what the regulatory framework will look like. Business leaders are keen to win public money for experimental schemes such as carbon capture and storage, which has been linked with E.ON's proposed Kingsnorth coal-fired power station. They would also like public bodies to "go green", providing opportunities for business.
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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.
