Ross, Skye & Lochaber Lib Dem MP Charles Kennedy has launched a bill which could help deliver a revolution in the way the UK generates its electricity.

Mr Kennedy has the opportunity to propose a ‘Private Members Bill’ after coming seventeenth in the annual ballot of MPs seeking an opportunity to introduce a new law of their own, without the Government’s backing.

The Bill – inspired by the success of a similar initiative in California – puts a cap on the amount of carbon dioxide which can be emitted per unit of electricity generated by new power stations. Had it been in place, it would have prevented the Government from proceeding with plans for a controversial new coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth in Kent.

Commenting on the measure – which has already won backing from MPs across all parties, and a range of Non-Governmental Organisations which includes the World Wildlife Fund, Greenpeace, the RSPB and Christian Aid, Mr Kennedy said:

“Climate change is the greatest moral challenge facing my generation. It is clear that unless we see through major changes to radically cut our carbon emissions, we will leave a very uncertain inheritance to our children.

“The UK shares an important obligation with other developed countries to show leadership, and commit to clean energy technologies which we can export to the rest of the world. We have the natural resources on our doorstep, we have the research skills and we still have the manufacturing capacity to do that.

“From the huge potential of wave and tidal power on our north and west coasts to the possibilities of ‘carbon capture’ technology in the North East, action can be an economic opportunity as well as an environmental necessity – but only if we take bold decisions today.

“The Government knows it needs to do more to clean up its act on energy if it is to meet the ambitious targets in the Climate Change Act.

“This is a simple step we can take to get there. It does not favour any one technology over another: it simply prevents the development of our emerging clean energy industry from being suffocated by short-sighted reliance on polluting fossil fuels, as at Kingsnorth in Kent.”

Dr Keith Allott, Head of Climate Change at WWF, welcomed the Bill, saying:

“The Committee on Climate Change has made it clear that the UK needs to have almost fully decarbonised its power sector by 2030 and cannot rely solely on carbon markets to achieve this. This Bill will help ensure that the UK sets the right framework to meet its emissions reduction targets and maintains its leadership on climate change.

“By focusing on meeting the Government’s targets on renewables and energy efficiency, the UK will not only reduce its emissions but will also be significantly less dependent on gas and other fossil fuels.”

Notes:

The draft of Mr Kennedy’s Bill, ‘The Industrial Carbon Emissions (Targets) Bill is available by contacting his office, together with a short explanatory note explaining its structure.

The bill is sponsored by Michael Meacher MP (Labour), Peter Bottomley MP (Conservative), Martin Caton MP (Labour), Mike Weir MP (SNP), Malcolm Bruce MP, Andrew Stunell MP, Roger Williams MP and Simon Hughes MP. A motion supporting the measure proposed by the bill (EDM 299) has been signed by 42 MPs.

For more information, please contact Sian Norris-Copson on 020 7219 0356 or Russell Cooper, Deputy Head of Public Affairs at WWF, on 01483 412382 or at rcooper@wwf.org.uk.