More fudging of renewable energy targets

April 1st 2008

The bonkers idea from Lady whatshername, that the UK should be able to build renewables projects in the developing world and count them towards UK targets for renewables is an evolution of carbon offsetting - Target Offsetting. Renewable energy is about more than just government targets - it's about where the UK gets it's energy from in the future, about how we keep the lights on in a world running out of fossil fuels. Building renewables in another part of the world isn't going to do anything to provide the UK with power - unless we use some very long wires.

Such a scheme would kill renewables in the UK. It would provide the ultimate NIMBY argument - don't build them in my back yard, build them in China, it's easier and cheaper.

And the equally bonkers idea that clean coal - an oxymoron in any event - should count towards renewable targets. It really doesn't get any more crazy than this. We burn coal, capture the carbon and count the electricity as green and renewable....!

Here's the Guardian article in our 'What the papers say' section.