HAVING championed the international fight against global warming, Tony Blair’s government laid out a key part of the battle plan for the UK last week. A white paper on energy paints a picture of a low-carbon, energy-efficient economy, yet curiously fails to provide leadership on the technologies that will underpin it.
The government’s direction is dictated by concerns about not only global warming but also the dubious reliability of oil and gas supplies from other countries. Much less fossil fuel will be burned: if all goes to plan, by 2020 renewable energy sources will produce about 20 per cent of the UK’s electricity, and carbon dioxide…
