Action to reduce the risk of Climate Change
Key facts:
2018 was the cleanest and greenest year ever for electricity in the UK and renewable electricity generation is now at a record highm supplying 31.7% of Britain's electricity.
Since the Conservatives have been in government we have invested more than £52 billion in renewable energy, reduced UK greenhouse gas emissions by 23 per cent and committed to achieving net zero emissions – ensuring cleaner air for the next generation.
In last Wednesday’s Spring Statement, the Chancellor announced a range of new green growth measures, including -
- steps to enable passengers to have the option of ‘zero carbon travel’,
- support for businesses to cut their carbon emissions and their energy bills and
- the decarbonisation of gas supplies by increasing the proportion of green gas in the grid.
Why this matters:
We agree that global warming and climate change are some of the biggest issues our country faces. By investing in green industries and decarbonising our economy, the Conservatives will leave the environment in a better state for the next generation.
Comments
Coal does not have a long-term place in the future energy mix.
However, that is not the purpose of the new mine, which is to produce coking coal for the British and European steel industries.
You can run a modern economy without coal-fired energy, but you cannot run one without steel. And you can't get steel without coking coal.
At the moment the coking coal for the UK steel industry comes from strip mines in the USA which do far more damage to the environment than the proposed mine will. Mining the coal here sop that it will not have to be shipped over the Atlantic will mean a small net reduction in the carbon footprint of the UK steel industry.