23 May 2007
Tony Blair says the decisions on the UK’s future energy supplies must be taken now, before it is too late.
His comments came as the Government published its energy White Paper, Meeting the Energy Challenge.
Writing in The Times today the PM says we must not be lulled into a “false sense of security” that flicking the switch at home will always automatically turn the lights on.
Energy policy, Mr Blair adds, has gone from being a “quiet backwater” to taking on strategic importance crucial to the country’s future.
The PM says we must secure cleaner energy supplies, such as wind and wave power [the PM is pictured visiting a wind farm in 2006], and consider what role nuclear power has to play in the future.
Mr Blair said:
“Our energy White Paper is practical but radical. It is a set of strategic measures designed for the long term. The decisions need to be taken now. The benefits will be felt in the decades to come. But taking them now is the only way to be serious about climate change while protecting our vital energy supply.
“The White Paper sets out proposals for ramping up our efforts to save energy, to develop cleaner energy supplies and to ensure that timely new energy investments can be made.”
This White Paper sets out the Government’s international and domestic energy strategy, addressing the long-term energy challenges with an aim to delivering four key policy goals:
- to begin on a path to cutting CO2 emissions by some 60 per cent by about 2050;
- to maintain the reliability of energy supplies;
- to promote competitive markets in the UK and beyond;
- to ensure that every home is adequately and affordably heated.
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