Past seminars

Labour Party Conference 2005

Climate Change: Take us to 2050

6.00 - 7.30 pm, Tuesday 27 September 2005

Venue: The King's Hotel, Kings Road, Brighton

Speakers:

Rt Hon Margaret Beckett, MP, Secretary of State, Defra

Malcolm Wick, MP, Minister for Energy

Sponsors:

Severn Trent Plc

Overview

Later this year or early in 2006 the UK government will be publishing its recommendations following the Review of the Climate Change Programme. In addition to the review of such a wide basket of energy initiatives (The Climate Change Levy, EEC2, renewable capital grants), the government will review the Phase 1 of the EU ETS.

The government's pledge to review such a vast number of policy initiatives should pave the way for a clearly defined energy strategy beyond 2005. SERA is hosting this fringe to determine the direction in which the government plans to develop energy policy. SERA is also using this opportunity to engage with industry and NGO stakeholders.

Rt Hon Margaret Beckett, Secretary of State, DEFRA

We need SERA and the other green groups to work alongside the government to tackle climate change. This is a political challenge as well as a policy one. New Zealand is an ally and supporter of tackling climate change and has demonstrated that it is not an easy task. The party in power only beat their opponents, who were anti-Kyoto, by 1%, showing that environmental issues are not at the top of people's voting agendas.

No one has done more to accelerate action on climate change than Tony Blair, who has always wanted climate change to be the top priority during his G8 presidency. However he has met much opposition along the way and it seems like his chances for success are none too favourable. He has, though, succeeded in putting climate change on the agenda for many heads of governments.

At the G8 summit, the World Bank made commitments to incentivise investment in Low Carbon options, which was an important step forward. The Labour Government has been hosting a series of high-level international meetings and conferences on energy issues in order to discuss the options available and move forward. Climate Change is a global problem which cannot be tackled by any one nation alone. It is the job of campaigners to set goals ahead of government; however, they must not go too far, as this can make them seem out of touch with the political reality and undermine those people on the government level who are actually on the same side and have the same goals. The government needs the help of these campaigners to build ideas and support on a national and global level, and to increase awareness of the importance of climate change issues.

Malcolm Wicks MP, Minister of State for Energy

Energy policy must be viewed as part of the solution not as part of the problem. How we recognise global demand for energy is important - for example, China's energy demand is currently growing by 15% a year. Much of this is consumption of fossil fuels. It is vital that we research carbon options, particularly clean coal technology.

Other alternatives include researching energy efficiency, for example a lot of work has already been done on improving insulation for pensioners, and draft proofing. Much more could still be done in industry, transport and domestic sectors.

Renewable energy sources are key to tackling climate change. Top of the list are wind farms, but there also needs to be investment in tidal generation, funded by grant aids. A report on biomass and biofuels will be released within the next two months, which the USA has already shown a lot of interest in.

Micropower is also important in contributing to the energy supply, particular in public institutions such as schools. Microgeneration installations such as wind turbines in schools would not only increase efficiency, it would also educate and inform young people and provide visible progressive symbols to communities. We also need to engage the public in a difficult debate surrounding civil nuclear and whether it has a future. Hydrogen cars are another option which must be explored and developed.

Ian Marchant, Deputy Chairman UK Business Council for Sustainable Energy and Chief Executive of Scottish and Southern Energy

The energy sector is responsible for half the emissions in the UK. Industry is fully supportive of the government target to reduce CO2 emissions by 60% by 2050.

The Climate Change Renewables Obligation is lending momentum to the industry; for example, there is major research on tidal and wave power currently being funded by the private sector. Carbon now has a price and businesses are making decisions on carbon use. We now need to legislate beyond Kyoto and 2012 by setting a long-term policy framework as an investment for the future.

No one has yet cracked energy efficiency - time and effort needs to be put into doing so. If we do nothing, carbon emissions will increase drastically. People need to find more creative ways to use energy. Most importantly, we need to work on changing people's behaviour in areas such as microgeneration, energy efficiency and small domestic alterations such as using energy-efficient light bulbs. Education on sustainable energy must be provided in schools in order to kick start microgeneration and provide children with an awareness and a thirst for knowledge.

The energy white paper set a vision which now needs to be enacted. By 2050 all carbon power stations in existence today should be gone. However, we need shorter targets for the establishment of renewable power sources and clean coal technologies.

We must set the pathway now to:

1. Get the market involved and harness human capital

2. Tackle reduction in energy and improve efficiency

3. Put energy efficiency and sustainability at the heart of every government department and policy, and at the core of every business decision

Comment on what Tony Blair said in his conference speech about the need to consider civil nuclear energy.

Nuclear remains an option and has been an option for some time. It cannot be excluded. Tony Blair regards climate change as high on the government's agenda, along with an overview of energy policy in general. Climate change must be considered as urgent and serious, and we have seen this shift in opinion over the past year.

What contribution does science have to pay to the climate change debate?

Science has a large contribution to pay to this debate. One reason the UK has a good reputation on climate change is the honesty and intelligence of our scientists.

In terms of wind power, what would you consider to be a heroic failure?

If the analysis of using wind power doesn't deliver the correct balance between output and profitability, then we must reconsider. Otherwise, we must meet the targets set for wind generation and renewables in general.

What are your views on reducing civil aviation emissions?

Civil aviation must be considered for the emissions trading scheme, as this would have direct impact on carbon emissions in the environment. ICAO have committed globally to aviation regulation.

Have we met our Kyoto targets?

Kyoto is a first small step towards climate change. Targets are somewhat arbitrary and only go to 2012. We need to work out how to draw people into discussion beyond 2012 and Kyoto. Climate change must generate a more far-reaching appeal. While we have met our Kyoto targets we could have done more. Working in an atmosphere of betrayal where people are accusing the government of not meeting their targets is not constructive.