Leaked Document Shows Gordon Brown Likely To 86 Renewable Energy Standard For UK - Telegraph

[hatrack]

The Prime Minister has been advised his Cabinet colleague, Business Secretary John Hutton, to wriggle out of a promise to generate 20 per cent of all Europe's energy from renewable sources such as wind, wave or solar power by 2020. Mr Hutton has warned Mr Brown that boosting Britain's renewable power from the current level of two per cent to nine per cent of energy generation, under the half the EU target, will cost £4 billion.

In the light of "severe practical difficulties" with the target, Mr Hutton urges Mr Brown to join up with East European countries, such as Poland and the Czech Republic, that are sceptical about the economics of EU climate change policy.

The leaked document is deeply embarrassing for the British Prime Minister, who has highlighted the fight against global warming as a key role for the EU.

Mr Hutton notes that Britain could suffer "a potentially significant cost in terms of reduced climate change leadership" and stresses that reneging on the target will be "very hard to negotiate... and will be very controversial".

EDIT

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2007/10/23/eaeu123.xml

[ramapo]

1. Comforting...

Nice to know we here in the US do not have a monopoly on idiotic, gutless politicians