In the wake of the comprehensive spending review, our ‘greenest government ever’ shows a diminishing faith in a green recovery…

Plans to develop the Green Investment Bank now falls short …
Renewables are at a significant disadvantage to fossil fuels due to the high upfront capital costs. This could be effectively tackled through a Green Investment Bank using government start-up funds to lever private capital. Ernest & Young estimate £4-£6 billion is needed to attract significant investment from the private sector. The £1 billion promised by the government is not enough, and the UK could lose its chance to become a global leader in offshore wind technology. It would also have been the catalyst for the thousands of jobs possible through the manufacture, installation and maintenance of turbines.

Carbon Capture and Storage preferred despite being an expensive alternative renewables…
Carbon Capture and Storage is a ‘silver bullet’ technology, with no industrial scale plants operational globally. It is a distraction from a renewable energy future, and used to justify the fossil fuel industries continued dominance. The £1 billion research and development funding for a demonstration plant (a small part of the estimated £10billion needed) dwarves the £200 million for offshore wind. The fact the e.on has recently pulled out of the competition for economic reasons shows this to be an expensive waste of precious resources.

Renewable Heat Incentive remains intact…
This incentive has fortunately survived the axe, and is an integral part to delivering large emissions reductions, in line with the recommendations of zerocarbonbritain2030. The £860 million pledged will be instrumental in delivering this technology from the margins to the majority.

Feed in Tariff’s saved, at least till 2013…
The government has decided not to change the Feed-in tariff scheme until 2013. While a gradual year-on-year reduction of tariffs can be a driver for progress in the industry, a drastic reduction or even a structural change of the scheme would amount to changing the rules after the game has started. For companies which are about to invest heavily in getting the scheme, and for those which have already done so, it is crucial that the government confirms its long-term commitment to Feed-in Tariffs in their current form and structure.

Green Deal remains intact…
The government has committed itself to this policy, as it does not cost them money. It is one of the few rays of light, and will hopefully be a suitable incentive for the mass retrofit insulation of Britain’s inefficient housing stock. Plans recently announced could produce over 100,000 jobs in insulation by 2015.

Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) takes a heavy 30% cut…
This department has seen some of the most damaging cuts, with a 30% budget cut much higher than the 19% average. This department safeguards our natural heritage and guards against pollution. These cuts could cripple an agency already struggling to sufficiently monitor and regulate dirty industries.

So it seems that the changing of the clocks is not the only thing to announce the darker days ahead. The changing of the guard and the promise of a green conservatism has not been reinforced with action. These cuts represent a fundamental shift in the role of the state in society, that hasn’t sufficiently tackled the root cause of the problem, or set the path ahead for a low carbon future.

As a movement striving for a strong response to these urgent times and if the politicians wont lead then it is up to us to drive solutions ourselves. The technology shows we can, its time to say we will.