Mel Stride meeting

Gerald Conyngham and Charles Mossman had a meeting with Mel Stride, our local MP, on the 9th October.

Although we only had less than 15 minutes with Mel we managed to cover a number of topics briefly. Our first subject was to request that green measures were included in the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR). We lobbied for a properly capitalised Green Investment Bank and clarity on the subject of feed-in tariffs and the renewable heat incentives. Secondly we lobbied for large scale carbon capture and storage and for no new coal fired power stations. Finally we represented the need for the Government to deliver its fair share of money that the poorer nations need to adapt to climate change. We pointed out that there are alternative ways of raising money for this such as the Robin Hood tax on some financial transactions. We left our MP with a letter setting out our arguments. He has forwarded it to David Cameron for a response, which as yet we have not received.

Reaction to the Comprehensive Spending Review

Chris Huhne the minister in charge of Energy and Climate Change said that the Spending Review ensures that the UK can meet its environmental goals, including the 2020 targets for a 34% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and for 15% of energy to be from renewable sources, while improving efficiency, supporting growth and facilitating a private sector led transition to a green economy. Capital spending will increase by 41% over the next 4 years. Here is a summary of what was agreed.

• The Green Investment Bank survived the review but of the £6Bn called for there's just £1Bn. Most economists say that that is not enough to kick-start private investment in green technologies. There has been a reprieve for the feed-in tariffs which are to remain unchanged until the first planned review in 2013. Also the Government announced that the Renewable Heat Incentives would commence in June 2011 with an investment of £850Mn out of the Department of Energy and Climate Change's budget. Up to £1Bn has been allocated to create one of the world's first commercial-scale carbon capture and storage demonstration plants. There is a strong chance that this project will be given to an existing coal plant, Longannet in Fife, to demonstrate an immediate reduction in emissions if successful. Longannet is the UK's most polluting coal fired power station and in many ways it is the appropriate one to go ahead with as it is able to be fitted up for carbon storage under the North Sea in oil and gas reservoirs. £200Mn has been allocated for low-carbon technologies including offshore wind technology and manufacturing infrastructure at port sites.

• Friends of the Earth (FOE) think this will mean thousands of new green jobs in areas like the North East that need it most. But there are savage cuts, strongly criticised by FOE, to home insulation schemes such as Warmfront.

• The Department for International Development (DFID) also saw its capital programme increase over the next 4 years by 20%. The DFID has committed to drive urgent action to tackle climate change by supporting low carbon growth and adaptation in developing countries. International Climate Finance will be £2.9bn over the Spending Review period. This amount is included within its overarching target of spending 0.7% of gross national income on overseas development aid. All campaigning organisations have lobbied the Government for the climate change finance to be additional to the 0.7% pledge.

To summarise, although the green agenda did not fare too badly from the spending review , there will still be much campaigning and lobbying to do in the future to ensure our UK targets are met and the poor countries are treated fairly as agreed at Copenhagen last year.