Wednesday, 28th September 2011
Debate on Rio+20 Earth Summit
ORAL QUESTIONS TO THE COUNCIL & COMMISSION
RIO+20 EARTH SUMMIT
DEBATE - STRASBOURG 28th SEPTEMBER 2011
We must take great care as we adopt a strategy for the greening of the economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication, that we do not support policies that in fact achieve the exact opposite.
In Scotland right now we have set targets of 100% energy from renewables by 2020. The Scottish Government has stated that it will not allow new nuclear power stations to be built in Scotland, but rather it will race ahead with a mad dash for renewables, based mainly around on and off-shore wind, tidal and wave energy.
But these projects are being funded by a sea of subsidies paid by the poor, beleaguered consumers. What we are witnessing is a dramatic transfer of money from the poor to the rich; from the consumers to the wealthy estate owners and power companies. Scotland's consumers have seen recent sharp rises in their energy bills ranging from 10 to 20%.
In July, the Department of Energy in Whitehall revealed that rising bills have pushed 5.5 million households into fuel poverty – one fifth of British homes. The most vulnerable people in society will be forced to make the choice between food or fuel.
This is a scandal of unparalleled proportions, but it is one of the unintended consequences of pursuing a policy of greening the economy, which is in fact driving people into poverty, rather than eradicating it. Nor can such a policy be described as sustainable when wind turbines only provide energy for around 22% of their working life. They don't work when there is no wind and they have to be switched off when there is too much wind.
Every MW of installed wind turbine capacity has to be backed up with a MW of installed baseload, which in the case of Scotland, where nuclear power is no longer an option, means a heavy reliance on high CO2 emitting gas or coal plants.
This is economic and environmental madness and at the same time, the army of giant turbines that is now marching across Scotland's unique landscape is steadily destroying our tourist industry and making the lives of people who have to live in proximity to these industrial developments a misery.
A green economy is worth striving for, but not at any expense.
STRUAN STEVENSON, MEP
