Energy white paper fails to deliver for business and environment

24 February 2003

The Energy White Paper lacks the substance to deliver the Government’s rhetoric on powering the UK from sustainable energy sources said WWF, the global environment network, and the UK Business Council for Sustainable Energy (UK BCSE) today.

With the Prime Minister set to mention the White Paper in a speech to the Sustainable Development Commission today, it has no clear medium-term strategy for delivering the development of sustainable energy technologies such as wind, wave, solar, Combined Heat and Power and energy efficiency.

Despite the Government's aspirations to reduce carbon emissions by 60 per cent by 2050, the White Paper gives no real indication of the route map needed to reach this target or any new policies to help achieve it. The inadequacy of this can be seen by the fact that it has taken 20 years for the UK to deliver just three per cent of its electricity from renewable sources. The Government needs to achieve three times this in the next seven years if it is to make its 2010 target alone.

"The Government’s visionary rhetoric belies the fact that it has failed to outline clearly how it intends to deliver real emissions reductions and long-term investment in low carbon technologies." said Andrew Lee, WWF Director of Campaigns. "Without interim targets bolstered by robust policies, this White Paper will not set us on the path to deliver the emission reductions necessary to tackle the spectre of long term climate change."

Russell Marsh, Head of Policy of the UKBCSE said: "Business doesn’t want targets for targets sake but it needs the confidence to invest in sustainable energy technologies for the long term, the White Paper does not deliver that confidence. The government is at risk of undermining existing investment and missing its longer term goals unless it sets a clear path to the future."

Notes to Editors

WWF is now known simply by its initials and the panda logo, in line with the whole international network. WWF, the global environment network, takes action to conserve endangered species, protect endangered spaces and address global threats, by seeking long term solutions.

The UK Business Council for Sustainable Energy (UKBCSE) has been created to bring together the key players in the energy sector in order to develop an effective dialogue with Government that can help strengthen the UK's strategic agenda for sustainable energy. It brings together major businesses in the renewables, energy efficiency and Combined Heat and Power industry and is working to build a broad consensus on many of the issues surrounding the development of sustainable energy in the UK.

WWF is supporting the Sustainable Energy Bill which would establish legally binding targets for renewables, energy efficiency and Combined Heat and Power. The Government must adopt such targets to set the UK on a clear path to a sustainable energy policy.

Spokespeople are available for broadcast interviews from both WWF and UKBCSE.

For further information contact

Sue Windebank, Senior Media Officer, WWF
Tel: 01483 412388,
Mob: 07771 818709
E-mail: swindebank@wwf.org.uk

Russell Marsh, Head of Policy, UKBCSE
Tel: 020 7976 6655
Mob: 07941 953634
E-mail: russell.marsh@bcse.org.uk