UK Government misses opportunity to combat climate change
04/02/05

The NFU has expressed disappointment at the government's decision to effectively block a Private Members Bill designed to help combat climate change today.

The NFU, Friends of the Earth and nearly 200 cross party MPs from around the UK called for this new legislation to promote the use of renewable heat energy in the fight against global warming.

The Renewable Heat Obligation Bill was to be debated in the Commons today and coincided with the start of the UK hosted G8 summit, where Prime Minister Tony Blair identified combating global climate change as a key international issue.

The Bill was aimed to encourage public facilities like hospitals and schools and private developments to utilise renewable energy heating systems fuelled by renewable sources including biomass, solar power and ground heat. The Bill would have allowed energy suppliers to either invest in their own supplies of renewable heat energy or buy in `credits' from companies that specialise in the technology.

Voicing his frustration, NFU deputy president, Peter Kendall said: "On the one hand the government is challenging the world to tackle climate change, while on the other they block domestic measures to support renewable energy. UK carbon dioxide levels actually rose in 2003 by 1.5%, and yet we see no coherent strategy to tackle this increase.

"No one is more aware than farmers of the very real effects of climate change and British agriculture is eager to help tackle this global problem through supplying carbon neutral biofuels for transport, and biomass for heat and electricity."

Friends of the Earth climate campaigner, Katie Elliott said: "We are bitterly disappointed that the Bill was not able to make further progress - the Government is way behind its targets for reducing carbon dioxide and needs to start implementing ideas like this, not opposing them if it is to live up to the rhetoric of so many ministerial and even Prime Ministerial speeches on climate change".

The NFU and Friends of the Earth are seeking a meeting with Energy Minister, Mike O'Brien, at the earliest opportunity to express concerns and seek some clarification and explanation of the apparent lack of government consistency on climate change.

NFU deputy president, Peter Kendall, said: "This was a huge opportunity. With the right encouragement agriculture could provide significant reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. Incorporating the Renewable Heat Obligation into the government's housing development plan would have an enormously positive impact. We would like to see a significant percentage of the 120,000 new homes to be built each year until the year 2020 heated and powered by small-scale combined heat and power plants, powered by renewable energy."

* The Renewable Heat Obligation Bill is a Private Members Bill proposed by Mike Weir MP for Angus. It is supported by Friends of the Earth, the National Farmers Union, the Woodland Trust, The Country Landowners and Business Association, British Biogen, Combined Heat and Power association, Renewable Power Association, Solar Trade association and Slough Heat and Power and others.