UK to Build 10 Nuclear Power Stations

The British government has approved 10 sites for new Nuclear Power Stations in an effort to secure future energy for the UK.

The UK has begun to rely more and more on foreign energy as their reserves of natural gas and coal diminish. The move is largely aimed at reducing emissions over the next few decades. The majority of the UK’s ageing nuclear infrastructure will have to be decommissioned by 2023, leading some experts to warn of the prospect of power shortages if new capacity is not added.

The 10 sites deemed suitable for future nuclear plants, many of which already have nuclear power facilities, are Bradwell in Essex, Braystones, Kirksanton and Sellafield in Cumbria, Hartlepool, Heysham in Lancashire, Hinkley Point in Somerset, Oldbury in Gloucestershire, Sizewell in Suffolk and Wylfa in North Wales.

Energy and Environment Secretary Ed Miliband claims:

The threat of climate change means we need to make a transition from a system that relies heavily on high-carbon fossil fuels, to a radically different system that includes nuclear, renewable and clean coal power. The current planning system is a barrier to this shift. It serves neither the interests of energy security, the interests of the low-carbon transition, nor the interests of people living in areas where infrastructure may be built, for the planning process to take years to come to a decision.

European Union to Ratify Lisbon Treaty

Czech Republic President Vaclav Klaus has taken the final step in the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty for the European Union, becoming the final country to sign up to the treaty. This milestone comes nearly exactly 20 years after the fall of the Berlin wall that previously divided Europe.

The treaty could now come into force before the end of the year. Supporters claim it will allow the European Union to have a greater influence in world affairs and operate more efficiently, but it has had many critics that claim it puts too much national powers in the hands of Brussels.

The Lisbon Treat has taken a decade of negotiations and was intended to take effect in January 2009. But a signature from every country in the EU was needed before it could be introduced. The Republic of Ireland held a referendum where the public voted against signing the treaty, but after further pressure from EU leaders they held a second referendum where the public instead voted for the treaty. The Czech Republic was the last of the EU’s 27 member states to ratify the treaty. Mr Klaus signed it shortly after the Czech constitutional court rejected a complaint against it, ruling that it was in line with the Czech constitution.

The treaty will create two powerful new jobs roles: President of the European Council and a Foreign Policy Chief. EU leaders are expected to choose a permanent President of the EU Council and a foreign policy chief within days. Tony Blair had been tipped as the favourite to become the EU President, but Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy is now the favourite. The treaty also means that more decisions can be made by majority vote rather than unanimity, in an effort to speed up decision making.

India and China Make Climate Truce

As the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference draws closer, the pressure is mounting on all nations to negotiate a deal on reducing emissions and preventing climate change. No nation wants to compromise their economy for the sake of the environment, and its becoming increasingly more obvious that future growth could suffer to prevent dangerous climate change.

In a move that essentially makes them the most powerful voice at the Copenhagen Climate conference, China and India have signed an agreement to work together on addressing climate change. China and India are 2 of the worlds biggest polluters. They are also 2 of the fastest developing nations on Earth and are thus critical to any climate change deal that could be reached at Copenhagen.

The move is a massive one by the economic giants. As developing nations they have shared interests in continuing to increase their emissions over the foreseeable future to further power their economic growth. Lets not forget that there are well over 2 billion of the worlds population living in these countries alone, many of which are still in poverty.

But what remains to be seen is whether this alliance will have a positive or negative impact on a climate change treaty. Both argue that capping their emissions would limit their economic growth. They, along with most developing nations, claim that developed nations such as the USA are more historically responsible for climate change and should face tougher restrictions. This alliance of the 2 largest and most influential developing nations means their opinion and demands at the Copenhagen climate conference will likely be the voice of all developing nations, perhaps completely overshadowing that of developed nations.

Make no mistake, the climate change conference is not about climate change at all. It is a battle of the worlds biggest economies on who should pay the price of pollution. Economic power is shifting to the east and America will likely do everything it can to stop it. But the Alliance of India and China now puts the odds heavily in their favour. A meaningful deal in Copenhagen simply cannot exist without agreement from China, India and America.

Will America accept their historical responsibility? Will China and India agree to only build Renewable Energy from now on? Will these people actually remember to listen to the climate scientists and not businessmen and economists? Probably not…

Are the Tories as Green as they Claim?

David Cameron has claimed to take a strong stance against climate change over the past few years in the run up to the election. He rides his bike to work every day and even installed a wind turbine on top of his home. But as the election draws nearer, are the Tories really taking climate change seriously?

Next year sees a coalition of companies and organisations have signed up to the 10:10 campaign. The aim of the campaign for those participating is to reduce emissions and impact on climate change by 10% in 2010. The Tory front bench as signed up to the campaign, but so has Labour and the Lib Dems.

However, out of the 47 councils around the UK that have joined or are thinking about joining the 10:10 campaign, only 6 are controlled by the Conservatives. Surprising is it not considering their promises to tackle climate change head on if elected.

At the top, Cameron and his front benchers appear to be on top of climate change related policies, because they know it is a major issue for the future and will play a big role in the next election, but do the Tories really care about climate change? Not according to Alexis Rowell, the 10:10 coordinator for councils:

When 10:10 was launched, David Cameron and the Tory shadow cabinet were very quick to get on board. But there’s a real disconnect between the shadow cabinet and Tory-run councils. On the ground, we’re getting the sense that the Tories don’t give two hoots about climate change.

Franny Armstrong, founder of the 10:10 campaign also expressed her concern at the lack of willingness shown by most Tories:

I’m disappointed that the Tories, who have made such positive strides on environmental policy, are acting as a roadblock to the campaign locally when their leadership has been so publicly supportive of 10:10.

More evidence suggesting that the shadow cabinet’s enthusiasm for 10:10 is not repeated at local level emerged last Wednesday, when Tory members of the London assembly walked out of a 10:10 motion brought by Lib Dem leader Mike Tuffrey.

Gordon Brown took a stand on climate change this week by claiming the world has 50 Days to prevent climate change. Of course he was referring to the Copenhagen climate change summit in December which will likely decide how seriously we tackle climate change over then next 40 years. If anything Brown’s stance on taking climate change seriously makes me wonder who has convinced him. He has only ever listened to Bankers before and thus shown little care or respect for any other people, and if anything is achieved at Copenhagen it is likely to cost Brown and his beloved bankers lots of money. Penny for your thoughts Gordon?

Road To Copenhagen Climate Summit Starts Here

Today marks the beginning of the road to the Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen in 76 days time, as 100 world leaders attend UN talks in New York.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called for an urgent response to climate change, claiming current negotiations are moving too slowly.

Talking directly too 100 world leaders at the UN, Ban said “Your decisions will have momentous consequences. The fate of future generations, and the hopes and livelihoods of billions today rest literally with you.” He claimed failure at Copenhagen to take appropriate actions would be “morally inexcusable”.

China has shocked many at the UN, as President Hu Jintao announced to fellow world leaders that they will strive to cut emissions by a a “notable margin” by 2020. The UN has recommended at cut to developed nations of 25%-40% by 2020.

The Chinese president said his country’s cuts would be measured by unit of Gross Domestic Product. He echoed previous calls for developed nations to do more to fight climate change than developing nations, as they are more historically responsible for emissions. He also pledged to “vigorously develop” renewable and nuclear power. China’s motives may not be entirely selfless, as lets face it, the first country to crack cheap, easy and renewable energy will likely economically thrive over the coming decades.

“Developed countries should fulfill the task of emission reduction set in the Kyoto Protocol, continue to undertake substantial mid-term quantified emission reduction targets and support developing countries in countering climate change,” he said.