Letter published in the Scotsman:
Gas let-down
I was disappointed to learn that the Chancellor intends to signal an expansion in the use of natural gas for electricity generation when he unveils the government’s gas strategy later this week.
Although I applaud the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change’s support for renewables, I am calling on him to stand firm in his convictions and stand up against the continuing long-term role for fossil fuels in the UK’s energy generation.
Any expansion of the use of natural gas will prolong the UK’s dependence on fossil fuels and will make it all the more difficult to meet the carbon targets set out in the UK Climate Change Act. It also sends out a poor message to the rest of the world about how seriously the UK Government is taking these targets, especially in the context of the current ongoing meeting of the UN Climate Change Conference at Doha.
At a time when the international community is desperately looking for leadership to address the worsening crisis of climate change, the UK Government is yet again engaged in an internal wrangle between the Chancellor and the Department of Energy and Climate Change.
(Rev) Sally Foster-Fulton
Church of Scotland’s Church and Society Council