Europe’s Green Policy Crisis Deepens

For a growing number of Europeans, their continent’s global warming policies have forced them to decide whether to heat their homes or buy food. In short they must choose whether to “Heat or Eat,” which was the title of a talk by a British climate policy expert delivered in Calgary Tuesday. Benny Peiser, director of the non-partisan, not for profit Global Warming Policy Foundation, laid out in graphic terms how Europe’s climate policies have “failed.” “This is the biggest wealth transfer in the history of modern Europe — from the poor to the rich,” explained Peiser, who spoke to a crowd of 200 at the 10th annual Friends of Science luncheon. --Licia Corbella, Calgary Herald, 15 May 2013

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European companies’ competitiveness is hampered by unnecessary burdensome legislative instruments in climate, energy and environment and policymakers must rebalance industrial strategies towards manufacturing, BusinessEurope president Jürgen Thumann said in an interview with EurActiv. The European Business Summit (EBS) begins today (15 May). “European companies are suffering from the negative effects of green tape,” said Thumann, slamming the Commission for its inclination to develop ‘unnecessary burdensome legislative instruments in climate, energy and environment policies.’ --EurActiv, 15 May 2013 The European gas sector is in a disastrous state and without policies to boost investment, the power supply of some countries could be at risk, a top industry official said. Cirelli said gas, which represents a quarter of EU primary energy consumption and is used by 200 million citizens for heating, is no longer competitive in Europe because of the influx of cheap US coal and rock-bottom CO2 prices. As cheap shale gas displaces coal in US power plants, coal exports to Europe rose 23% last year, pushing international coal prices lower. In some EU countries, the amount of electricity generated from coal is rising at annualised rates as high as 50%, Cirelli said. --EurActiv, 15 May 2013 One reason why we in this country are falling behind the growth of the rest of the world is that in recent years we have had a policy of deliberately driving up the price of energy. A nation can compete on the basis of cheap labour or cheap energy but if it has neither then it is likely to be in trouble. So, for the sake of pensioners in fuel poverty, for the sake of small businesses struggling to meet their energy bills and for the sake of large businesses all too ready to leave these shores, let us repeat what our ancestors did in the early 18th century and drive down the costs of energy so that we can drive up living standards. --Viscount (Matt) Ridley, House of Lords, 14 May 2013

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