WWF-UK: Energy Review is a nuclear smokescreen

Energy Review is a nuclear smokescreen
Monday 23 January 2006
"Tony Blair has misleadingly positioned nuclear power as a solution to climate change" says Andrew Lee, Director of Campaigns for WWF UK, commenting on the launch of the consultation for the UK Energy Review, 23 January 2006.
Commenting on the launch of the consultation for the UK Energy Review, Andrew Lee, Director of Campaigns for WWF UK, said: "The Energy Review is nothing more than a smokescreen for the resurgence of nuclear power. It is also an attempt to hide Tony Blair's failure to deliver on a clean energy policy."The Government has failed to take its own advice on energy. The Energy White Paper in 2003 concluded that the UK could meet its climate change targets and secure energy needs through increasing renewable energy and energy efficiency, without resorting to new nuclear power plants. However the Prime Minister has failed to capitalise on a number of key opportunities to reduce energy demand and the UK's rising greenhouse gas emissions. "On housing the government appears to be backsliding on manifesto promises to effectively tackle the energy efficiency of new and existing housing - and with housing accounting for a third of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK, action on this sector is crucial. The government has further failed to implement effective measures on energy efficiency in commercial buildings and promote the uptake of Combined Heat and Power (CHP) - both of which were recommended in the Energy White Paper."Tony Blair has misleadingly positioned nuclear power as a solution to climate change. Nuclear power could only ever make a very small contribution to reducing carbon emissions and it does not address emissions from transport - the fastest growing source of emissions. Also new nuclear plants could not be up and running in time to help meet our climate change targets. "It would be much more sensible to increase and diversify the use of renewable energy and make a serious effort to reduce energy waste - just as the Government's Energy White Paper recommended three years ago."