DECC minister Chris Huhne has compared world leaders who obstruct a global deal to tackle climate change to politicians who tried to appease Adolf Hitler before World War Two, as his department launches a £15 million scheme for domestic renewable heat.
The energy and climate change minister was at Chatham House, endeavouring to inject new urgency into climate change negotiations.
He said that it was vital that governments redouble their efforts to find a successor to the United Nations Kyoto Protocol, which controls greenhouse gas emissions only in developed countries and expires at the end of 2012.
However, he feels that it is now unlikely that a breakthrough will be made at the main annual conference beginning late November in Durban, South Africa, because of “a damaging rhythm" into which "the annual cycle of UNFCCC meetings is in danger of slipping".
"Although the scientific evidence continues to grow, climate change is getting less political attention now than it did two years ago. There is a vacuum, and the forces of low ambition are looking to fill it," he said. "Giving in to the forces of low ambition would be an act of climate appeasement.
Huhne evoked the memory of Winston Churchill and the fight against Nazi Germany. "This is our Munich moment," he said, in a reference to the 1938 Munich Agreement that gave Hitler part of the former Czechoslovakia in a doomed attempt to persuade him to abandon further territorial ambitions. He quoted Churchill - who was both a Liberal and Conservative - who "once said that 'an appeaser is someone that feeds a crocodile, hoping that it will eat him last'."
But climate change affects everyone, and the poor suffer the most. Many developing nations seek to extend the Kyoto principles, but richer countries - Japan, Russia and Canada - want a different sort of agreement.
Poor countries say rich nations have emitted most of the greenhouse gases since the Industrial Revolution and so must give them more help before they can be expected to sign up to making cuts themselves. But Huhne said "We cannot wait for every country to become equal, because that would mean waiting for an eternity. At some point, we must draw a line and say: this starts now. This starts here."
In an attempt to persuade his audience he quoted the Association of British Insurers who said, in 2009, "our assessment of climate change convinces us that the threat is real and is with us now" and he referenced the letter written to the European Union by more than 70 European companies, including Ikea and Coca Cola, asking them to aim for more ambitious carbon cuts.
"This is the last Parliament with a chance to avoid catastrophic climate change," he said. “It will end in 2015. If we have not achieved a global deal by then, we will struggle to peak emissions by 2020. It will be more expensive, more divisive, and more difficult."
He said that the political tactics must include “using soft diplomacy to shift the politics and build coalitions" and "explaining the case for action...on economic and security grounds", and using “targeted financial and practical support to help developing countries build cleaner, more climate resilient economies."
He said temperatures must be kept within 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) of pre-industrial levels to avoid the worst effects of climate change. They have already risen by 0.8 degrees Celsius and even if all emissions were stopped today, they would rise by a further 0.5 of a degree, he said. "Sticking to our 2 degree limit means global emissions must peak by 2020 at the latest," Huhne said. "From 2013, there will be new political leadership in the world's major economies. We hope to have put the global recession behind us. The stars may be more closely aligned in favour of a binding legal deal," he said.
The ‘Renewable Heat Premium Payment’ scheme
The RHPP scheme announced yesterday by DECC makes available £15 million of support for up to 25,000 renewable heat installations in homes, with a review to take place as the £10 million limit is approached.
It will target the four million or so households in Great Britain not heated by mains gas, who have to rely on heating such as oil and electric fires, which tend to be more expensive and emit more carbon emissions.
It is open to householders in England, Scotland and Wales, who will be able to apply for grants of up to £1,250 to install systems such as biomass boilers, air and ground source heat pumps and solar thermal panels from 1 August 2011. It will operate on a first-come-first-served basis, and will close on 31 March 2012.
Part of the purpose of the scheme is to obtain further information on the behaviour of technologies prior to the full commencement of the Renewable Heat Initiative (RHI). Therefore installations will be monitored and any metering equipment will be provided free of charge.
Participants will be required to complete surveys and provide feedback on their experiences.
“Today starts a new era in home heating," announced climate change minister Greg Barker, “because we’re making it more economical for people to go green by providing discounts off the cost of eco heaters. This should be great news for people who are reliant on expensive oil or electric heating as the Premium Payment scheme is really aimed at them. “Getting money off an eco heater will not just cut carbon emissions, it will also help create a market in developing, selling and installing kit like solar thermal panels or heat pumps.”
The Premium Payment scheme is to be administered by the Energy Saving Trust, which has set up an information line, 0800 512 012 and a website.
Dwellings will have to have in place basic energy efficiency measures before householders can apply. The following technologies are eligible:
Ground Source Heat Pumps - £1250 grant (for homes without mains gas heating)
Biomass boilers - £950 grant (for homes without mains gas heating)
Air source heat pumps - £850 grant (for homes without mains gas heating)
Solar thermal hot water panels - £300 grant (available to all households regardless of the type of heating system used).
£3 million of the £15 million will be set aside for registered social landlords to improve their housing stock. DECC will announce details of how to apply for these funds at a later date.
The Renewable Heat Incentive
The Renewable Heat Incentive is split into two tranches. The first, for industry, business and communities will be open for applications on 30 September, subject to State Aids Approval. The tariffs will be paid for 20 years to eligible technologies that have been installed since 15 July 2009 with payments made for each kWh of renewable heat produced.
Households will be able to apply a year later. The government has confirmed that renewable heat installations installed in homes since 15 July 2009 could receive the Renewable Heat Incentive once it comes in, provided they meet the eligibility criteria.
They have also confirmed that this could include those who receive support under the RHPP scheme. The government has not yet published its proposals for how the RHI will work in the domestic sector, including eligibility criteria.
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