WWF UK is urging the government to make a proper commitment to finding alternative energy solutions that will benefit not just the environment, but also the economy. This follows the news from Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Chris Huhne, that the government will not be going ahead with any proposed tidal power project at the Severn Estuary.
The power created from the Severn Estuary could have greatly supported the UK’s electricity supply. Though it has been proven that this project should not have gone ahead due to the damage to local wildlife habitats, WWF officials are urging the government to stick to their guns about becoming the ‘greenest’ in history and make contingency plans to find alternative power sources.
Senior Planning Officer for WWF UK, Emmalene Gottwald, said –
We do not agree with the statement today that there is no strategic case to invest in marine renewables. Wave and tidal power may have a significant role to play, but the industry is still in its infancy and the technologies are still being developed. Without further investment and committed resources, we do not know if the industry can prove itself or if marine renewables can deliver cost effective energy to help keep the lights on with minimal environmental impact. We need a renewable energy revolution if we want to meet our climate change mitigation targets – and this cannot occur without the necessary level of public funding.
WWF officials are campaigning for the government to continue it’s search for more sustainable energy solutions for the country. Though the tidal power scheme may not have been the most environmentally effective, two other options showed great potential, the Tidal Bar and the Spectral Marine Energy Converter. The government should continue on it’s quest to find sustainable methods to provide the UK’s energy with the minimal environmental impacts.
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