Idle Thoughts


One hundred and fifty days into this cobbled- together Coalition gov- ernment and it is starting to show its true colours. And they’re not green. It was difficult to hear the news above the bleat- ing from David Cameron about how this was going


to be the “greenest government ever”, but this Coalition has just reneged on two of its pre-election promises on the environment.


The swiftly-packaged Coalition document explic- itly committed the two parties to introducing “measures to make the import or possession of ille- gal timber a criminal offence”. But in a letter to the Green Party MP Caroline Lucas, the Government has made it clear that it will not honour that pledge to make it a criminal offence to possess, or bring into the country, illegal timber.


And in a second policy turnaround: despite a pre- election promise from both the Tories and Lib Dems to extend the green subsidy for energy from small- scale solar panel installations to around 6,000 people who had put up panels before the launch of the gov- ernment subsidy scheme, the Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Chris Huhne, has made it clear that the scheme will not be extended – and the early adopters should be content with the “warm glow of being pioneers”. In February, Charles Hendry, now sitting as a DECC minister, promised campaigners that a Tory Government would pay higher rates to those people that had installed early. And then there is the potential disappearance of DECC as an independent Whitehall department. When departments were told to prepare for 40% cuts over the summer, DECC officials said that cuts of that magnitude to its modest £3.2B budget would be unsustainable, making it unable to stand alone as a viable entity. If the Treasury gets its way, DECC


This month... Event


ExCeL plays host to the latest European Future Energy Forum on 19-21 October. See Energy Secretary Chris Huhne (above) talk wind and nuclear > europeanfutureenergyforum.com


This Coalition is starting to show its true colours. And they’re not green


will be broken up, with its civil servants moving in with either the business team or the Treasury itself. So, watch this space.


What is the point of election manifestos and Coalition agreements? If policies can be championed and then abandoned in such a nonchalant fashion, how can we trust anything this government has to say about its future energy and environment plans? Yes, there are cutbacks to be made, but we need a government with the courage to take steps that are in the common long-term interest of the country; a government that moves society towards economic and environmental sustainability, rather than con- tinuing the downward spiral of boom and bust. That’s the issue this Coalition will be judged on.


On 27 January 2011, Sustainable Business launches its first one-day conference. Becoming energy effi- cient and moving your business to a low-carbon model is likely to require some investment. But what technologies, products and services should you invest in? What support is available? And how do you build a business case that keeps all of your stakeholders happy? ‘Investing for Sustainability’, taking place at One Whitehall Place in London will provide the answers, with thought-provoking presentations from some of the UK’s best business leaders and a series of case studies from across the sectors. > investingforsustainability.com


TOM IDLE EDITOR


Awards


The deadline is looming for entries into next year’s BCE Awards. You have until 11 October to stake your company’s claim as a committed environmentalist > bceawards.org


CSR


The 20 October means only one thing: the long awaited Comprehensive Spending Review. Let’s just see how much this Coalition values a move to a low-carbon economy


SB Conference


Investing for Sustainability takes place on 27 January 2011 at One Whitehall Place in London. Visit the website for full details on how to book your place > investingforsustainability.com


Sustainable Business | October 2010 | 3


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