“Short termism defines the government’s attitude towards energy security and environmental impact.”
News article filed by BNP news team
Ending the UK’s dependence on finite reserves of oil and gas should be the priority of any government serious about keeping the social and economic fabric of the country in tact. Much of the country’s energy imports are sourced from unstable regimes in the Middle East and central Asia and Russia is worryingly flexing its new found muscle as the world’s leading distributor of gas. Add to that the impact of Peak Oil which the BNP first brought to readers’ attention about five years ago; the UK’s continued dependence on imported fossil fuels is the Achilles Heel of our society.
Any sensible practical and affordable measure which encourages energy efficiency and a switch to renewable forms of energy supply should be encouraged by an administration with its eye on long term stability and prosperity.
Evidence that Brown’s government is more interested in a short term prop-up from big business rather than getting serious about the security of the nation’s energy supply comes today, as it is announced that the government is scrapping measures which would have forced housebuilders to include solar panels on new builds and additional environmentally friendly features.Merton rule
The so-called “Merton rule” is named after the south London borough that established it in 2003. It requires any new building to reduce its carbon emissions by 10% through the use of renewables. More than 150 local authorities have either introduced it or are about to. In the absence of a proper interest in renewables from central government, the Merton rule has become a key element to tentative steps towards a low carbon future.
But housing Minister Yvette Cooper, who last year wanted all local authorities to adopt a Merton rule, will soon publish a new draft planning policy statement which outlines the abolition of the rule.
This decision is even more remarkable as the government has been making loud noises about the need to reduce carbon emissions in a bid to tackle climate change. As we have http://www.bnp.org.uk/reg_showarticle.php?contentID=2617 as a Party, we remain extremely skeptical about this issue, claiming that it is the wrong crisis. Peak Oil is the real crisis, not climate change.
Empty promise
However the government cannot even act on its own supposed concerns on climate change. Last year when he was Chancellor, Gordon Brown announced in his pre-budget report that all new homes should be carbon-neutral by 2016; which is clearly another empty promise from Labour.
Adrian Hewitt, principal environment officer at Merton council, said: “The new draft … on climate change confirms our absolute worst fears. The Merton rule and any mention of local authorities being able to secure a percentage of renewable energy on new buildings seems as if it’s going to be airbrushed out of history like a dissident from an old Soviet photograph.”
The Royal Institute of British Architects yesterday attacked the government’s apparent U-turn on the Merton Rule.
RIBA president Jack Pringle said: “The RIBA strongly believes that local authorities should be free to demand higher building standards than those set nationally.
“Individual local authorities can play a huge role in driving innovation and can themselves become beacons of sustainability. If the reports are true and this ability will be lost, that will be detrimental to the government’s goal of reducing carbon emissions from buildings.”
So who is leaning on Brown’s colleagues to drop the Merton rule? A clue comes from Stewart Baseley, chairman of the House Builders Federation:
“Local authority political posturing for the green ground with ever-more unaffordable and potentially unachievable targets, and taking no responsibility for how these targets are to be achieved, will serve no one’s interests,” he said recently.
The costs are marginal according to energy consultants; Tony Book, head of a company called Riomay which is involved in several solar energy projects in London, said the rule only added 3-4% to building costs. These costs are after all passed on to the house purchaser so the reluctance of the HBF to implement these measures is inexcusable.
Short termism defines the government’s attitude towards energy security and environmental impact.