Bishop Hill The passing of the Climate Change Act?
Jul 29, 2012 Climate: Parliament Energy: grid Christopher Booker notes what appears to me to be the beginning of the end for the Climate Change Act.
[W]hat we see emerging here for the first time is an official admission that, in order to keep our lights on and our economy running, we have no alternative but to rely massively on fossil-fuel gas, which will drive a coach and horses through the Climate Change Act’s target of an 80 per cent emissions cut.
Of course, the politicians will deny this, but they can only do so on the basis of wishful thinking. They are not going to get their “carbon capture” or their 32,000 wind turbines, let alone those “hundreds of thousands of green jobs”. In all directions they are screwed. And not the least telling feature of last week’s statement was that it made no reference to the shale gas revolution which has already halved US gas prices in five years, and which could solve our own energy problems by providing cheap gas for centuries.
Of course, the fact that our energy needs will be met by shale gas and that the Climate Change Act will be tossed to the wind doesn't mean that the government will stop funding wind turbines. But there will be a growing realisation that the taxpayers' largesse is not anything to do with energy. It will be seen for what it is - a gargantuan fig-leaf behind which politicians like Ed Davey can hide their cowardice.
Reader Comments (52)
Jul 29, 2012 at 4:39 PM | Robin Guenier
Only in our darkest nightmares..............
Maybe not London
But will the Next Olympic Flame/ Cauldron will it be powered by Shale Gas.
Wonderfully ironic Rio where they had the 1st Earth summit all those years ago.
http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2195303/green-watchdog-hails-lowcarbon-olympic-cauldron