Why are we going back to coal?

Great comment piece in yesterday's Times questioning the new coal rush in general and Kingsnorth in particular...

"It is extraordinary that the Government is trying to rush through a new generation of coal-fired power stations. Coal produces almost three times as much carbon dioxide per unit of electricity as gas. The shift from coal to gas in the 1980s accounts for almost all the progress Britain has made on reducing emissions. But John Hutton, the Energy Minister, has been bending over backwards to help the energy company E.ON to build a new plant at Kingsnorth, Kent, which now has planning permission."

Read the full article

PS There's a big verbal punch up going on in the comments section following this story, so feel free to weigh-in!

April 1st: Fossil Fools' Day!

Fossil Fools' Day has really packed a punch already, and its only 11.30 am! Here’s a round up thus far:

WDM calls John Hutton a 'Fossil Fool' at the department for business in Westminster

Westminster awoke to cries of “Roll up! Roll up! Come see the Fossil Fool” at 8am this morning as 15 jesters and 30 protestors arrived at the department for business to laugh at John Hutton, the minister responsible for the government’s push to build a string of new coal-fired power stations in the UK. Carrying banners which read: “New Coal? You must be choking!” the campaigners were juggling coal and planet Earths and wearing John Hutton ‘jester’ masks and hats. They called on Gordon Brown to take charge of John Hutton’s laughable coal plans and launch a coal power strategy review to consider the climate impact of going back to dirty coal.

This protest comes a day after energy giant E.ON asked John Hutton should delay the decision on the plans to build a coal fire power station in Kingsnorth in Kent. E.ON wants the government to postpone the decision until after the consultation into carbon capture and storage (CCS) has been completed.

Benedict Southworth, director of the World Development Movement said:

“John Hutton must not be a fossil fool, and force the UK to become reliant on the dirtiest fuel known to man. He must freeze his support for new coal power. If he irresponsibly pushes his plans forward, he will entrench the deep cabinet divide over reverting to coal energy and the government will be in trouble over coal.

“Gordon Brown must realise that the only sensible course of action now is to completely review his policy on coal in the UK, and call a coal power review that will consider the climate impact of going back to dirty coal.

“And Brown must remember that this is not only a decision that will affect the UK, but will have huge consequences for the world’s poor who will be hit first and worst by climate change.”
Interviews/comment, call Kate Blagojevic on 020 7820 4900/ 07711 875 345.

For more pictures see Flickr.

Read more about Fossil Fools' Day on the WDM website

Watch the fossil fools on the ITV local news

Meanwhile, across the country...

Protesters shut down open-cast coal mine, Wales
Protesters Shut Opencast Coal Mine Direct action exposes ‘black hole’ in climate change policy Tuesday, 1st April, 2008: At 7am this morning, protesters halted work at one of the biggest opencast coal mines in Europe. They intend to remain on the site for several days.

Climate activists blockade E-on in Nottingham, UK
Climate activists from Eastside Climate Action blockaded E-on workers as part of International Fossil Fools Day.
7:30 this morning 30 people blockaded the entrances to E-on’s offices on Mount St, Nottingham City Centre. People covered in green paint to represent E-on’s greenwash, locked onto the front entrance to E-on’s office and stood in front of other entrances preventing E-on workers from getting to work.

Activists Blockade Major Gas Terminal, Norfolk UK
Earth First! UK activists today blockaded the UK’s largest off shore gas terminal at Bacton in Norfolk. 40% of the UK’s domestic gas comes ashore here, is processed and distributed by pipeline. Activists blockaded the main road outside the site at 6.30 am this morning, preventing construction workers and shift workers from arriving.

Fossil Fools Day “kicks off” early in London!
Fossil Fools Day 2008 got an early start today - with London Rising Tide “kicking” things off. In front of the Football Association headquarters in London, Rising Tide protesters issued the FA a Red Card for accepting sponsorship from E.ON - a utility company proposing to build new coal-fired power plants in the UK.

Cabinet split on Kingsnorth: Hutton v Benn

It seems that the many thousands of people who are opposed to the new generation of coal power stations, and who are shocked at John Hutton's veiled support for dirty coal are not alone. Support for Kingsnorth is waning within the government as well:

Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) is being urged to oppose the scheme by officials unless there are guarantees it would be able to exploit new "carbon capture and storage" (CCS) technology, according to a report in the Independent today.

As we've already seen (thanks to Greenpeace), CCS has been dumped by Hutton. Following a series of emails between power company E.ON and the government, CCS was dropped as a requirement - Hutton's department reversed the government's climate and energy policy in six minutes and four words.

John Sauven, the executive director of Greenpeace, said:

"Gordon Brown needs to get a grip on his cabinet. What we're seeing is ministers jostling for position. If Brown gives the go-ahead for a new fleet of coal-fired power stations, with CCS technology still unproven, it's hard to see how the UK will meet its legal requirement to reduce emissions by 80 per cent by 2050."

In the meantime, for those who are not in the cabinet, you can put pressure on Hutton to call a public inquiry into the coal power scheme here.

Fossil Fools Day

1st April is set to pack a punch this year. Across the world April Fool’s Day is being marked by climate change activists as Fossil Fool’s Day, a day of action against the climate wrecking fossil fuel industry. Organised by the Rising Tide network, which spans the UK, US and Australia, there’s set to be stunts, protests and direct actions happening at the workplace of climate criminals near you.

To find out more visit www.risingtide.org.uk

Protest circus for a coal Fossil Fool (BERR, 1 Victoria Street, 8 am on 1 April 2008)

The World Development Movement is organising a gathering to protest outside the Department for Business and Regulatory Reform (or BERR) to laugh at the minister for business, John Hutton. John Hutton is currently set to make a right fool of the government’s climate policy if he signs off on EON’s new Kingsnorth power station.

Everyone’s welcome to join in the collective hilarity and to demand Hutton takes the Kingsnorth decision very seriously. There will be a real circus feel, with jugglers, clowns and acrobats, so don’t hesitate to bring juggling balls or wear your squeaky nose or silly hat.

See the page on Facebook or just turn up.

Protest starts at 8am and will be over in time for you to be at work. Contact Rachel on 0207 8204900 for more information.

Old King Coal is a dirty old soul

The RSPB have now joined the clamour against the new generation of dirty coal power stations.

Responding to John Hutton's speech in which he suggested that the government might give the go ahead to Kingsnorth without a public enquiry, Ruth Davis, Head of Climate Change Policy at the RSPB, said:

“Plans to store carbon dioxide from plants like Kingsnorth are one thing but having the technology to do so is quite another, and still a long way off.

“What is the point of claiming to lead action to tackle climate change, introducing the world’s first climate change legislation, then sanctioning much greater use of the dirtiest energy source there is?

“Even the most efficient coal-fired generation releases twice the carbon dioxide of gas. Failure to delay coal-fired development until carbon storage technology is available is irresponsible and unnecessary. We should be investing far more in energy efficiency and renewables instead.

“Climate change is posing huge threats to people and wildlife. We must face up to this and start to cut our emissions rapidly, especially emissions from the power generation sector.”

The RSPB is one of the largest conservation organisations in the UK, with over a million members.
Read more on the RSPB website.

What planet is John Hutton living on?

Yesterday at a speech at the Adam Smith Institute, John Hutton made it pretty clear that the government was going to support resurrecting coal-fired power stations, starting with Kingsnorth in Kent. While he was there he also had a pop at the green campaigners who he accused of ‘gesture politics’. We had a quick discussion in the office about what this actually means, and decided that we weren’t entirely sure but what is clear is that we and the thousands of people who have emailed him are striking a nerve – great news!

Campaigning organisations got together and expressed their outrage at Hutton’s hint of going ahead with Kingsnorth without a public inquiry.

We said: "Hutton has the audacity to accuse green groups of gesture politics but it seems that today he is hinting that he will give a quick consent for Kingsnorth. This is undemocratic and dangerous. It appears that he has been blinded by the empty promises of big business and unproven technology. Hutton’s vision of climate leadership is to build polluting power stations and cross his fingers and hope for the best that unproven carbon capture technology works. This is not politics; this is a game of smoke and mirrors.

Christian Aid said that granting permission for Kingsnorth would be a "shameful climbdown" from the leading role the UK has taken in demanding worldwide cuts in carbon emissions, and made a "mockery" of the Climate Change Bill at present going through Parliament.

Greenpeace, said: "When it comes to climate change, Gordon Brown's Government is behaving like Jekyll and Hyde.

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said: "At a time when the Government should be working to reduce the UK's emissions, ministers seem determined to allow a huge new polluting power station. What planet is John Hutton living on?

Our WDM campaigner managed to sneak in to hear the speech and asked Hutton whether he would announce a public inquiry. Unsurprisingly he dodged the question, but did mention that the one thing he definitely was not going to do is send the UK back to the stone age, which is ironic given that he is a lover of old fashioned coal and clearly hasn’t read the reports which say that if governments don’t take action now, dangerous climate change will throw many countries back to the stone age.

Campaigners threaten legal action against Kingsnorth

Ministers have been threatened with legal action if they press on with plans to build a new coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth without holding a public enquiry.

In a letter to the Minister for Business, John Hutton, lawyers acting on behalf of Greenpeace argued: "It is not rationally or fairly open to you to conclude otherwise than that a public inquiry is appropriate in this case."

Medway council recommended a public inquiry back in January when they controversially granted planning permission for the power station to be built, despite protests from local residents.

Susequently emails obtained from freedom of information requests have exposed that the requirements for carbon capture technology have been dropped from the proposal.

You can write a message to John Hutton to ask for a public inquiry on the StopKingsnorth.org website.

Read more about Greenpeace's action against Kingsnorth on their website.
Read more on the Financial Times website