Brexit-Clexit October update
55 Tufton Street/ Media Misinformation
The Leave Means Leave campaign, based at 55 Tufton St, pushed for the most hard-line form of Brexit. Former ministers, Nigel Lawson (Chair of Vote Leave), Owen Patterson, Peter Lilley and John Redwood wrote to Theresa May on behalf of Leave Means Leave, telling her to walk away from talks with Brussels if they continue to refuse to discuss trade. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/oct/19/brexit-talks-uk-must-prepare-to- leave-without-deal-say-former-ministers
Earlier in the month Nigel Lawson had publicly called for the resignation of Chancellor Philip Hammond for not being sufficiently supportive of Brexit. Lawson claimed, “What he [Hammond] is doing is very close to sabotage.” https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/oct/12/philip-hammond-must-be-sacked- for-not-supporting-brexit
Meanwhile, the BBC complaints unit ruled that the Today programme should have challenged Lord Lawson during an interview in August. Lawson claimed that ‘official figures’ showed that there had been a decline in temperatures and the IPCC had said that there had been a decline in extreme weather over the previous ten years. Even Lawson’s Global Warming Foundation distanced itself from his claims. The BBC stated that Lawson’s views "were, at the least, contestable and should have been challenged". http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41744344
Trump and Clexit.
The Trump administration’s plans to scrap Obama’s Clean Power Plan faced delays. The impetus to re-energise the coal sector comes into direct conflict with a legal imperative given to the EPA in a 2009 endangerment finding by the Supreme Court that ruled that CO2 was a pollutant and a danger to health. Faced with these two contradictory pressures, Mr Pruitt has kicked for touch. The EPA will take public comments on what should happen replace the CPP. This will take at least a year.
Referring to the falling costs of renewable energy, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg commented, "The EPA can repeal the Clean Power Plan but not the laws of economics. This won't revive coal or stop the US from reaching our Paris goal." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-41567471
Brexit Chaos in the UK Government continued over Brexit. The month began with calls for Boris Johnson’s sacking after he undermined the Government’s approach to Brexit twice. This was shortly followed by speculation over Theresa May’s future following her performance at the Conservative Party conference. Shortly after, there was a concerted push for the sacking of Chancellor Philip Hammond for being too soft on Brexit. Early in the month the Environmental Audit Committee in Parliament joined campaigners in calling for a new environmental act to preserve hundreds of treasured wildlife habitats across the UK that have been protected for decades by the EU. Mary Creagh, chair of the EAC, said “EU law protects many of our treasured natural places and iconic British species. The government’s withdrawal bill means that these protections could end up as zombie legislation, no longer updated or enforced and able to be eroded by ministers.”
A cross-party group of MPs tabled an amendment to the EU withdrawal bill to stop the directives and other EU laws becoming defunct and unenforceable when they are rolled over into UK law.
Richard Benwell of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust said, “There are three main fears after Brexit. Firstly, the law itself might be unpicked and loosened in terms of planning protection as a result of lobbying from groups like house builders, secondly the backstop of the European commission enforcing the directives will be removed and lastly the very principle of environmental law – the precautionary principle – won’t be available to guide things.” https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/oct/06/britains-wildlife-needs-urgent- new-protections-ahead-of-brexit-say-mps
The next step for campaigners was for MPs to table amendments to the Brexit Bill, ensuring that environmental protections are added. The Brexit Bill was due to be debated in October but was delayed until November because the Government feared it would be defeated over a number of amendments that MPs have tabled. These include ones by Conservative rebels like Ken Clarke demanding that a two- year transition period be written into law. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexil-bill-delayed-eu-withdrawal-vote- commons-revolts-tory-rebels-labour-theresa-may-a8006831.html
Government backtracking on climate policy
Clean Growth Plan published
At the beginning of October the Government broke its most recent promise on the long-awaited Clean Growth Plan by not publishing it in September. (It’s now at least nine months late.) https://www.cleanenergynews.co.uk/news/solar/publication-of- clean-growth-plan-remains-unclear-as-beis-ducks-questions
Meanwhile lawyers began legal action against the Government over its failure to increase carbon reduction target in the Climate Change Act in line with the latest science. The current 80% reduction by 2050 target is no longer adequate or in line with the Paris Climate Agreement. The Climate Change Act always allowed for increases in the ambition of carbon reduction targets. 18 months ago, Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom promised a 100% emissions reduction plan. The Clean Growth Plan has yet to appear and revised targets have failed to appear in law. The legal action is supported by Sir David King, the ex-Government Chief Scientist. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41401656 Amid signs of the plummeting costs of wind energy, there was some speculation that the Conservative Party might soften its hostility to onshore wind power. Energy Ministers Richard Harrington and Claire Perry told the Conservative Party conference that new onshore wind projects could return to play a role depending on whether their costs are competitive and they win the support of local communities. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/10/04/onshore-wind-poised-comeback- tories-warm-lower-costs/
Finally, in mid-October, the Government published the much-delayed Clean Growth Plan. The 164-page document is a blue print for how the Government will reduce emissions by 57% by 2032. It includes 50 policies supporting everything from low- carbon power and energy savings to electric vehicles and keeping food waste out of landfill.
Off-shore windfarm developers will receive a further £550 million in subsidies. There is an aspiration that all houses will be brought up to the minimum of energy band C by 2035, but how that will be achieved is not spelled out. Existing schemes to improve insulation will be extended until 2028.
The Clean Growth Plan received a mixed reception. On the one hand, it could be seen as reverse of the Government backtracking in 2015-16. On the other, it could be seen as wholly inadequate.
Despite the wide-ranging policies, the strategy concedes that the UK is still not on track to meet its legally binding carbon targets for the late 2020s and early 2030s.
Jonathan Church of Client Earth said, “The UK government is still in breach of the Climate Change Act. The UK is on course to miss its 2023-27 emissions reductions targets by 116MtCO2e – equivalent to more than the Philippines’ emissions in a whole year – and the clean growth strategy does not fix this.”
Read more here: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/oct/12/uk-puts- energy-efficiency-at-heart-of-climate-change-strategy
The Campaign Against Climate Change has produced summary on ‘The Good, the Bad and the Missed Targets’. You can read it here: https://www.campaigncc.org/clean_growth_strategy
Fracking
During October, work at two frack sites, Preston New Road in Lancashire and Kirby Misperton in North Yorkshire continued. Third Energy stated that they intended to do test fracking at KM8 at any time after 26 October. As the month ended, they were just waiting for the Secretary of State for BEIS, Greg Clark to sign off the work. At the end of the month groups including the Angling Trust, Greenpeace, WWF and CPRE wrote to Greg Clark to say that fracking threatened the UK’s climate commitments. Read the letter here: https://drillordrop.com/2017/10/26/fracking-risks- undermining-uk-climate-commitments-leading-environmental-groups-tell-minister/