CLIMATE CHANGE & ENERGY, PUBLIC OPINION SURVEY.
PONTEFRACT, KNOTTINGLEY, CASTLEFORD, HEMSWORTH & NORMANTON
Climate change clash looms for local MPs as almost three-quarters of residents don’t want new coal power station at Ferrybridge.
A new coal fired power station is planned for Ferrybridge in west Yorkshire despite nearly three-quarters (71%) of nearby people saying that we should develop renewable energy instead of new coal. Several Yorkshire MPs including Ed Miliband, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and Yvette Cooper, MP for Ferrybridge have so far refused to oppose the increasingly controversial plans.
The figures are revealed today as the results from a number of public opinion surveys that we carried out across the towns of Knottingley, Pontefract, Castleford, Hemsworth, Normanton and Doncaster*. The results can be seen below, and are also available from our two reports which are available for download.
Half of the Ferrybridge power station is due for closure by 2015. Its owners, Scottish and Southern Energy are currently considering replacing this with a new but dirty coal power station*.
The people have spoken – and they don’t want a coal power station at Ferrybridge. Ed Miliband, Yvette Cooper, Jon Trickett, Ed Balls and Caroline Flint are all clearly out of touch with the opinions of their constituents. More than 80% of people in our survey have said that they are concerned about climate change and 94% say we should produce electricity in ways that don’t damage the climate.
You can download and view the full reports as PDFs by clicking here and here.
Click ‘Read More’ for the full article (3 pages).
Coal generated electricity produces the highest amount of carbon dioxide emissions. If we are to tackle climate change we need to rule out new coal developments.”
YANC wrote to the constituent MPs asking them to oppose new coal power station proposals and instead to call for an investment in clean, renewable and highly efficient technologies which in turn could create 160 000 jobs. They have all failed to reply.
However, Rosie Winterton, Minister for Yorkshire & the Humber has said that it is “vital that we have an open debate” before making decisions about future energy policy*.
A little over a year ago, the Prime Minister confirmed that the UK is capable of producing 40% of its electricity from renewable technologies*.
The YANC report also shows the public acknowledge joint responsibility and ownership of the climate change problem with more than 76% believing that all parts of society should be addressing climate change – which includes government and industry.
Last summer, the eminent NASA scientist James Hansen gave testimony in a UK court and said that the “prompt phase-out of coal emissions, is the one critical element in solution of the global warming problem”.*
This lack of response is another example of how this government is out of touch with addressing climate change. Our government must show it has the leadership skills to tackle climate change. Instead what we see today is a spectrum of out of touch Cabinet Office MPs from this region refusing to debate the issue of energy and climate change.
The public have made it clear that they do not wish to see new coal developments.
For more information email chris@nonewcoal.org.uk
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