Wednesday 25 April 2012

Hague says UK must “stay the course” on carbon targets

There is "no doubt" the UK must meet the challenge of "speeding up global progress on clean energy", Foreign Secretary William Hague declared today.

Mr Hague said it was crucial the UK makes sure it is "at the front of the queue when it comes to the jobs and industries of the future".

His comments come as around twenty ministers from around the world meet in London for the third annual Clean Energy Ministerial.

Mr Hague suggested climate change is "amplifying" the effects of higher and more volatile prices for energy, food and raw materials. He was particularly concerned by the risk posed to oil by global political tensions, adding all these could be a "serious threat to growth".

Writing in the Huffington Post, Mr Hague said: "Our reliance on expensive and volatile fossil fuel imports is damaging to our economy and will only get worse without concerted action. The transition will not be easy, but for the sake of our long-term security and prosperity, we must wean ourselves steadily off this resource and turn instead to low carbon alternatives."

The one-time contender to be Conservative Party leader praised the UK for the example it is setting for other countries.

He said: "It is to the UK's great credit that our leadership helped persuade the major emerging economies to acknowledge that they too will have to adopt legally-binding targets for carbon emissions. We must stay the course at home if we are to maintain our influence and reach a new global agreement in 2015."