Deeper down the rabbit hole
Energy
You have to pinch yourself when the government announces another new subsidy for the fossil fuel industry, not only because they so recently said that renewable energy should stand on its own two feet, but also because they’re announcing this just days before the latest climate conference in Paris – at which world leaders will gather to try and hammer out a global deal to reduce emissions. To reduce emissions, we need to reduce the use of fossil fuels. Our government is completely out of touch on this issue.
Leaking renewable targets
Energy
A leaked letter from Climate Change Secretary Amber Rudd, seen by The Ecologist shows that the Government’s public position that we are going to meet our legally binding renewables target – is not the truth. On the contrary the government clearly believes we will miss the target and Rudd discusses various options for making up the shortfall – none of which appear to be viable, by her own assessment. The one option not discussed is the reinstatement of support for renewable energy… instead Rudd appears to pin her hopes on the support for renewable heat not also being cut.
Cameron’s Green Energy Poppycock
Energy
The ‘green energy austerity’ of this government is a political choice. It’s not driven by logic or economics, but ideology.
Around 1,000 jobs were lost last month as one of Britain’s biggest solar companies went into administration – a direct result of the government’s slash and burn of green policies. There’ll be more to come as the impacts of recent announcements begin to bite.
The irony is that this came in the same week as a new report, from Bloomberg, confirmed that renewable energy is the cheapest form of energy we can build. This is the latest of many reports that show just how illogical the government’s approach to energy policy is, and just how much the renewable sector has to offer.
Around 25% of the UK’s power now comes from renewable sources – an indigenous energy supply that creates no pollution, is immune to global commodity price rises, enables us to hit climate change targets and creates jobs and industry right here in Britain. (more…)
Guest Blog: The Slow but Assured Death of UK Renewables
Energy
We’ve been a bit busy recently and haven’t been able to blog about this dire situation but Jonathon Porritt wrote this one, which pretty much sums up exactly how we feel about it. Reproduced here with his permission. Thanks Jonathon.
Things go from bad to worse on the renewable energy front.
1. Even those who are accustomed to George Osborne’s hostility to the renewables industry were astonished by his announcement in the Budget on Wednesday that renewable energy would no longer be exempt from the Climate Change Levy – this being one of the measures the Government uses to discourage the use of fossil fuels! This will cost the industry £3.9bn between now and 2018. Shares in renewable energy companies plunged.
In almost the same breath, Osborne confirmed further subsidies for oil and gas companies operating in the North Sea. And it is understood that there will soon be further measures to encourage the use of fracking. (more…)
Our 2030 Vision
Energy, Food, TransportIf you missed it the first time, you can watch Dale discuss Ecotricity’s 2030 Vision for a Green Britain with the Guardian’s Polly Toynbee.
You can view the 2030 Vision document along with the accompanying Cambridge Econometrics report over on the Ecotricity website.
Sweet potato and lentil curry
Food
Another classic from the Ecotricity design team for this week’s Meat Free Monday meal suggestion. This time it’s a child friendly curry from Angus.
Interesting fact – sweet potatoes have huge amounts of Vitamin A and also Beta Carotene (slightly more than carrots!).
Enjoy!
Malaysian noodle soup
Food
Picking up the Meat Free Mondays mantle this week is Sam from our design team. He’s sharing his recipe for an aromatic classic – Malaysian Noodle Soup. Here’s what he has to say about this recipe:
I freaking love this dish, it’s probably my favourite thing to eat and it’s relatively easy to make.
This recipe can probably serve four people, I’ve only ever made it for two and then we inevitably come back for seconds… Last time I checked, ingredients cost roughly £12.
Creamy garlic and mushroom soup
Food
As the weather has taken a turn for the worse over the last few days, I’m sharing one of my favourite soup recipes. This is something I thought I would miss as a vegan; however the change from dairy cream to rice or soy makes no difference to cooking and tastes just as delicious. The fried mushroom garnish is optional; it’s also lovely topped with croutons and fresh parsley.
Thai Green curry
Food
Another great recipe from Jodie to celebrate Meat Free Monday.
“This recipe is for one of my favourites, Thai Green curry. It’s hard to find vegan Thai pastes as so many of them contain fish sauce, but its super quick to make a homemade paste yourself. I like this dish served with brown rice, but you can have it with white rice or even noodles. Just bear in mind cooking times when making them alongside the sauce. You can also make extra paste if you wish and freeze it in an ice cube tray, then you can just add the cubes to the dish from frozen. You can even use the paste for Thai soups.”
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