Regret to inform…
According to the BBC, officials have announced that the UK will struggle to meet the EU targets that then-Prime Minister Tony Blair signed to in March on renewable energy - if it reaches them at all. The BBC reports on how the Guardian has internal briefings from officials to ministers, that suggest that the UK might not reach a target of 9% for renewable energy - less than half of the EU target of 20%. Furthermore, to critics, it seems that the government is trying to do as little as possible to rectify the situation.
“environmental group Friends of the Earth said the briefing paper showed the government was trying to water down its commitments.
Campaigns director Mike Childs told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It’s very clear that what they’re trying to say is ‘we want to introduce maximum flexibility within the targets’, and they float ideas about saying ‘can we use our nuclear power as part of that targets?
…“It is a very damning document and it does give a very interesting insight into the way that government operates.”
…Liberal Democrat environment spokesman Chris Huhne said: “This leaked paper shows that ministers are not trying to meet their renewables targets but instead are trying to wriggle out of them.”
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But Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks strongly rejected claims that the government was not committed to renewables, saying various proposals to meet the targets had been drawn up for discussion. “