First the good news.
According to the Madano consultancy, data just released by the European Environment Agency (EEA) shows that the EU is should exceed its targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Not just exceed them. Exceed them by 20% by 2020, eight years before its deadline. The EEA expects emissions to be 22.5% lower in 2020 than they were in 1990. Hurrah (I’ve been very pessimistic on this for a long time, so I’m swallowing hard and trying not to be churlish).
Meanwhile, as emissions fell across Europe, they rose by 3.2% in the UK. Boo.
Why is this not surprising? Minsters recently blocked a series of new wind farm proposals and the current government has created a landscape of uncertainty which makes it almost impossible to invest in renewable energy.
I wonder if someone somewhere is polishing off David Cameron’s promise to be the greenest government in history, preparing to insert it somewhere meaningful during the next election campaign.
The Aspidistra 