Articles and Speeches

Clean Energy
29-Jul-05, Windsor Express Column.

"It would be a wonderful world, if all of our energy needs were met from renewable sources. Windsor Castle has done their bit to help with their recent conversion to cleaner fuel and they certainly get the thumbs up from me.

Sadly it is impractical and uneconomic to meet all of our energy needs from renewable sources right away, but there are many things which can be done to assist with making the change.

One of the greatest sources of CO2 emissions is the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and gas. Even if Britain were to meet its Kyoto targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, there is still a challenge.

The developing nations, despite good intentions, may quickly undermine our CO2 savings through increased burning of fossil fuels to support their economic growth.

These issues are of fundamental concern to us all. This is why I am delighted to have been appointed to the Science and Technology Select Committee. Our first investigation will be into technologies that will lead to cleaner energy production from fossil fuels and, in particular, coal.

Hopefully in the near future we will be able to offer technologies that will enable developing nations to develop their industries without undermining the commitments we have made to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Britain."

Adam Afriyie, MP for Windsor