Wednesday 23 July 2008

WWF-UK calls on the government to invest in renewable sources of energy instead.

At the invitation of the local community, leaders from the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition, including WWF-UK, the Women's Institute, RSPB, Oxfam and Greenpeace planted flags in the ground at Kingsnorth to show the prime minister the breadth of opposition he faces if he gives the go ahead to a fleet of new coal plants.

Low-carbon

The move comes on the same day as the publication of a new report from an influential parliamentary committee which warns that government plans to develop new coal-fired power plants are "failing to take adequate account of the environmental impact of coal".

The report states that "replacing old coal-fired power stations with new ones, rather than using alternative energy sources, locks Britain into a high level of emissions for many years to come".

The coalition outlined in a letter to Mr Brown, that Kingsnorth is one of the most important climate change decisions of his premiership. It goes on to explain how building new coal plants in the UK would send the wrong signal to countries like China and India, and could thwart a better global deal on climate change.

The organisations argue that by transforming Britain into a low-carbon economy, the prime minister would prove the case internationally that renewables and energy efficiency can protect the climate and still provide sufficient power to the UK.

"Gordon Brown says he wants to show world leadership on climate change, to move Britain to a low-carbon economy and to drive forward a renewable energy revolution. All of these goals will be jeopardised if his government gives consent to the coal power station at Kingsnorth without insisting on full-scale carbon capture and storage from day one," said head of climate change at WWF-UK, Keith Allott.