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News & Views From the Front Line
Wednesday, 22 April 2009
Will Gordon give us green green shoots?
It is budget day today here in the UK and it is probably the trickiest budget to pull off in living memory. The big question is whether Gordon Brown and his chancellor Alistair Darling will stick their neck out and go green in a big way. The world and his Portuguese water dog has been proclaiming that the recession/world economic crisis/credit crunch is the ideal opportunity to build a low carbon economy in place of the collapsed oil-fuelled one we've had for the last 100 years or so. The (now) environmental economist Nick Stern (he of the Stern report) has recommended 20% of financial stimulus packages for green measures as a minimum. So how well is this going in practice?According to the Financial Times the UK has committed a measley 7% , the US 12% and South Korea a whopping 81%. China, long blamed by Western politicians and NGOs for its environmental record, has the biggest single green investment of $221bn (38%). Gordon Brown has pledged to up the UK's game to 10%, but we'll have to wait for Darling to drone his way to the environmental part of today's speech to find if we'll meet even that.
It is interesting that, despite all the proclamations of world leadership on this issue from the White House and Nos 10 & 11 Downing St, it is the Far East which is leading the way.
+++ Update 13:15 +++
The chancellor has just announced an extra £1bn for green measures - if this is truly additional to that announced before, then this would boost the green incentivisation to 11.7%. The billion breaks down into £435m extra for energy efficiency measures, £525m for offshore wind. There will also be support for using waste heat from power generation by exempting them from the Climate Change Levy. Verdict so far: not bad.
Labels: credit crunch, economics, gordon brown, recession, uk budget
# posted by Gareth Kane : 07:59
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Wednesday, 4 February 2009
A Five Point Plan to Build a Green Economy
Every political leader from Barack Obama to the head of the smallest district council appears to agree on one thing - that we should be taking advantage of the current economic downturn to build a new green economy. Saving the planet, rebuilding the economy and creating jobs at a single stroke is a very attractive goal, but it will take much more than words to make it happen. Here's a five point plan to make this dream a reality:1. Bold Leadership
Leadership is setting an objective and sticking to it through thick and thin. Saying one thing and doing another creates cynicism and distrust - Gordon Brown has made much of the green job revolution then approved the third runway at Heathrow, losing all credibility at a stroke. It remains to be seen whether Barack Obama will be able to deliver the very precise promises he has made to boost the green sector.
2. Provision of Incentives
Financial incentives for the green sector are currently fitful and bureaucratic in the UK eg complex grant applications and enhanced capital allowances. We need simple incentives to ease development and uptake of technologies. Germany's famous Feed In Tariff makes it easy for anyone to connect renewables to the national electricity grid and receive a preferential rate. It has boosted the amount of energy from renewables to 12% and created over a quarter of million jobs.
3. Removal of barriers
On the other hand, there are plenty of legislative barriers and 'perverse incentives' in place which slow the development of green industries. Connecting small scale renewables to the UK grid is a bureaucratic nightmare, the Animal By Products Order makes composting of food waste extremely difficult, and airlines do not pay tax on their fuel unlike other, greener modes of transport. These barriers have got to go.
4. Provision of Information
The public cannot be expected to make environmentally favourable choices without sufficient reliable information on which to base their decision. Experience shows that third party accreditations are required to avoid vagaries and greenwash. The EU energy label is undoubtedly the most successful eco-label in the world being clear and simple. Since the label was introduced for white goods in 1996, A-rated products have soared from 0% to 76% of the UK market.
5. Building Markets
The public sector and the enlightened private sector can use their buying power to build and strengthen green industries. The public sector can and should demand the highest environmental performance in buildings, vehicles and sources of energy. Local foods and recycled materials should be given preference while toxic material is phased out. This is a great opportunity for leaders to put their money where their mouth is.
Labels: barack obama, gordon brown, green business, recession
# posted by Gareth Kane : 07:00
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Friday, 28 November 2008
Brown ditches clean tech for home insulation
A couple of weeks ago, Gordon Brown was trailing a big investment in green tech as part of yesterday's pre-budget report, but it seems to have been quietly dropped in place of a boost in home insulation. There is a certain amount of logic in this in the current climate - an investment in clean tech may only deliver in economic and environmental terms several years into the future whereas the insulation scheme, if done properly, will deliver economic and environmental benefits to the lower income sections of the community with a much quicker return on investment.Barak Obama has made a similar promise on clean tech investment - it will be very interesting to see how this good intention manifests itself when the rubber hits the road next year.
Labels: gordon brown, low carbon economy, news
# posted by Gareth Kane : 11:50
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Friday, 23 November 2007
Brown admits 60% carbon cut may be inadequate
With all the furore over Northern Rock and the loss of 25m people's personal data, you may have missed a significant speech on climate change by the Prime Minister this week.Like Tony Blair before him, Gordon Brown has never been accused of being particularly green. But, for the first time, he acknowledges that current targets may not be enough and says he will take soundings on a 80% cut in carbon emissions by 2050. He also affirmed a commitment to Europe's target for 20% of energy to come from renewables - a pledge the Government had been trying to wriggle out of just a few months ago.
Apart from this, there was little to chew on - more carbon trading, more offshore wind, a home information service and various vague references to technology. In other words, plenty of commitment to action, without really saying what that action will be.
Oh, yes, for the headlines, he pledged to phase out single use plastic bags - well that will deliver 0.1% cut all on its own...
Labels: carbon targets, climate change, gordon brown, plastic bags
# posted by Gareth Kane : 07:59
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A highly accessible, practical guide to those who want to introduce sustainability into their business or organization quickly and effectively.
