Parliament called upon to back Energy Bill climate change amendment

More than 50 companies, charities and trade associations including Cisco, PZ Cussons and Unison have called on Members of Parliament to back MPs Tim Yeo and Barry Gardiner on an amendment proposal to introduce an Energy Bill target to commit the UK to a near carbon-free power sector by 2030.

The 55 organisations “represent different parts of society but are united in the belief that the Energy Bill represents a major opportunity to put the UK firmly on track to becoming a world leading low-carbon economy” and to “show genuine leadership in the fight against dangerous climate change”, according to a statement released on behalf of the associations.

The amendment to the Energy Bill would focus on removing carbon dioxide from electricity generation and would introduce a decarbonisation target that would govern how many grammes of carbon dioxide it would be acceptable to emit for every kWh of electricity.

Conservative Yeo, who chairs the energy and climate change select committee, is acting counter to party policy, whereas Gardiner in thought to have the backing of his party, Labour.

Commenting on the Energy Bill, which will be debated this week in Parliament, Angela Knight, chief executive of Energy UK, said: “As Parliament debates [the Energy Bill] this week, we want to see a measured discussion that gives confidence to the investors that this country needs.

“The MPs also need to spend less time discussing the long term and more time focussing on this next few years of the transition as coal power stations close and the new gas, nuclear and wind farms that are needed get built. A key responsibility of Parliament is to make this transition coherent and affordable while keeping the lights on.”

The companies supporting the amendment are as follows:

SSE, RSA, RES, PZ Cussons, Cisco, Dong Energy, Repsol, Vestas, Mainstream Renewable Power, EDP Renewables, REpower Systems SE, Interface, Harland and Wolff, The Co-operative, Ecotricity, Seajacks, SeaEnergy, Modus Seabed Intervention, Good Energy, Triodos Bank, UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association, Scottish Renewables, Renewable UK, Carbon Capture and Storage Association, Solar Trade Association, Renewable Energy Association , Anaerobic Digestion & Biogas Association, Carbon Connect, Forum for the Future, RegenSW, Business in the Community, The Church of Scotland, The Methodist Church, the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the United Reformed Church, Quakers in Britain, Operation Noah, CAFOD, 10:10, National Farmers Union, Unison, the TUC, NUS, UNICEF UK, British Association for Sustainable Sport, IPPR, Association for the Conservation of Energy, RSPB, Friends of the Earth, Christian Aid, Greenpeace, Oxfam, Woodland Trust, Women’s Institute and WWF-UK