Britain is failing miserably at meeting clean energy targets
Over the past week we’ve seen several major calls for action on climate change – from the Pope arguing that wealthy nations must move away from fossil fuels as an act of social justice, to the Lancet and University College London touting action on climate change as an enormous opportunity to improve public health.
Yet, as the calls come in from all quarters for divestment from fossil fuels, the British government is divesting from renewables.
Last Thursday the Conservatives announced that they will end subsidies for onshore wind energy – despite all the opportunities that it offers to generate sustainable, clean energy.
With Britain failing miserably to meet the EU target of 15 per cent of its energy coming from renewables – it is currently achieving a mere 5 per cent – such a move flies in the face of logic.
Not only will this mean Britain continues failing to do its bit to tackle climate change, it’s also doing a huge disservice to our workers and industries.
According to research from the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation and the Global Green Growth Institute, investing $1 million in renewable energy would create more jobs than the same amount invested in fossil fuels.
The message? Wind and solar power have the potential to provide decent, reliable work for those who have struggled to find a job amid government spending cuts and the economic crash caused by the greed and fraud of bankers.
The report looked at emerging economies, like Indonesia, South Africa and Brazil, and found that renewable investment here creates even more jobs than in countries like Germany and South Korea.
The Green Party understands that tackling climate change could help us to improve our world.
We want to see Britain aim for a zero carbon economy by 2050 to help us avoid dangerous levels of climate change. The only way we can achieve that target is through investing in measures that will make our society fairer, as well as greener.
Through a huge programme of home insulation, we can make Britain’s houses more comfortable to live in. We can create jobs, slash fuel poverty, and drastically reduce the amount of energy we need to produce.
By overhauling our transport system, we can transform the health and wellbeing of our society. By designing roads so that they prioritise pedestrians and cyclists, and making public transport comfortable, convenient and affordable, we can improve our air quality, reduce obesity and cut our carbon emissions.
And, as this week’s report proves, investing in renewable energy is a way to create thousands of jobs while reducing our impact on the planet.
The Green Party wants to see opportunities for communities to take ownership of energy generation and supply in their area, so that these jobs can go to local people in need of fulfilling employment.
What’s becoming clear to people around the world, from doctors to economists to religious leaders, is that moving towards a more sustainable society represents an exciting opportunity.
It’s time for our government to sit up and listen. Meeting our current targets is a positive step in the right direction, but if we really want to improve people’s lives and prevent dangerous climate change, our only option is to go further.
Andrew Cooper is the Green Party’s Energy spokesperson. Follow him on Twitter
To reach hundreds of thousands of new readers and to make the biggest impact we can in the next general election, we need to grow our donor base substantially.
That's why in 2024, we are seeking to generate 150 additional regular donors to support Left Foot Forward's work.
We still need another 124 people to donate to hit the target. You can help. Donate today.
31 Responses to “Investing in renewable energy will create thousands of jobs – so why is the government doing the opposite?”
Torybushhug
MILBURNS SPEACH TODAY ON WHY LABOUR LOST;
Labours worst defeat in 30 years
•The result was epic and emphatic
•Outside of student cities, areas of high ethnic minorities
and some cities, Labour were decimated
•More Labour MP’s in Liverpool than in all of berks, Bucks,
Sussex, Kent, Hants, Surrey, Oxfordshire
•There is precious reason for optimism
•A small majority in 2020 means winning Chingford, which has
never returned a Labour MP
•We had the wrong approach and wrong leader
•We retreated to our comfort zone rather than for example
finding ways to evolve the public sector
•We left the mass of middle income voters out of the debate
•We prioritised people renting not buying homes
•We were pro worker, anti business
•Voters took refuge with the Conservatives
•We have only ourselves to blame
•Voters would not be fooled – the public arguably went to
the right on things like immigration, Europe and welfare
•Labour lost Scotland, core English vote and to UKIP in
Northern heartlands
•The key to future victory is having a clear core purpose,
great leaders always have a purpose
•Voters are not sure what Labour is for
•Across the developed world the right is in the ascendancy,
the left has been wrong footed
•Too many in Labour have turned their backs on Blair who
gave them the dominant force in British politics over a decade and a halve
•The rot began with Brown in 2007
•50 years without a Labour victory aside from Blair
•We must become comfortable with aspiration
•Under Blair we were seen as intolerant of a failure to
abide by societies rules
•FISCAL CONSERVATISM IS THE FOUNDATION FOR POLITICAL SUCCESS
stevep
Oh dear, the Troll`s out of his cave again. Go back! Shoo!
We`re discussing progressive policies here, not failed right-wing doctrines that benefit a wealthy elite.
Torybushhug
Alan Milburns words, not mine, see the video on the Spectator site.
As to me sounding teenage, I shared you quaint narrative when I was a starry eyed teen, but then learned to decipher the bigger more subtle picture.
TN
No, it’s about how the left isn’t willing to listen to parts of the electorate they’ve managed to patronise for years.
stevep
There`s nothing quaint or subtle about the right-wing agenda, only increasing wealth, power and privilege for the elite and poverty and slavery for the rest of us.
I`m sorry that you succumbed to far-right propaganda in your early years, you`re not alone, lots of Labour politicians fell for it too. But we`re here to help.
I too believe in aspiration. I aspire to a political regime that delivers fairness, decency, a good standard of living and true democracy to it`s citizens.
It isn`t Capitalism and free-market economics, that`s for sure.