This post was written by Pip Roddis, Policy Officer in the RSPB's Sustainable Development Team
Last week the RSPB published its latest report on energy and climate change – ‘The RSPB’s 2050 Energy Vision: Meeting the UK’s climate targets in harmony with nature’. It has been two years in the making, and has involved more than 40 people from across the RSPB. It was launched to a positive reception at twin launch events in London and Edinburgh on Tuesday 24th May, and has initiated a debate about how the UK can decarbonise its energy supply and meet its climate targets whilst protecting wildlife at the same time.
The key finding of the report is that it is possible to meet the 2050 targets, using high levels of renewable energy, with low risk for sensitive species and habitats. These findings are underpinned by rigorous scientific analysis, which was published in a peer-reviewed journal this week to coincide with the launch of the report. It’s a great example of the RSPB’s collaborative, evidence-based approach to policy. See Martin Harper’s blog for more detail on our findings and our key recommendations on how to ensure nature is safeguarded in the UK’s low carbon transition, including better use of spatial planning, investment in new innovative technologies and further research in order to close ecological data gaps.
The launch event in London kicked off with Martin Harper (pictured below) presenting the report to an audience of MPs, civil servants, representatives from the energy industry, academics and the NGO community. As the chair of the event, Sue Armstrong-Brown (Policy Director at Green Alliance) commented: this report is well timed as political attention is now focused on domestic UK energy and climate policy, following the international climate negotiations in Paris last year. For instance, the UK’s Fifth Carbon Budget (one of the stepping stones towards the overall 2050 target) will soon be announced. It is important that the plan to deliver this carbon budget includes considerations of the potential impacts on nature right from the beginning, as well as demonstrating strong climate ambition.
Next, our expert panel responded to the report from each of their perspectives. Rebecca Pow MP (pictured below) spoke from her experience as a member of the Environmental Audit and the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committees – and as a Species Champion for the snipe, one of the UK’s threatened bird species. She highlighted that nature is inextricably linked to how we produce energy, and the crucial need for a holistic approach to planning the UK’s energy future that brings together different government departments working on these crosscutting issues.
Barry Gardiner MP, Shadow Minister for Energy and Climate Change (pictured below), concurred with the need to incorporate environmental considerations into energy planning right from the beginning. However, he called on the audience to be alert to the fact that many technologies in the RSPB’s 2050 Energy Vision – such as onshore wind, solar power and CCS technologies – have had economic support removed by the Government, and the urgent need to invest in these technologies to secure a sustainable, low carbon future for the UK.
Barry Gardiner MP was followed by Leonie Greene, Head of External Affairs at the Solar Trade Association (pictured above), who highlighted the opportunities that solar farms offer to boost biodiversity and deliver renewable energy in harmony with nature. She also pointed to the challenges currently facing the UK’s solar industry. The panel concluded with Stephen Wilkinson, Vice President of the Royal Town Planning Institute (pictured below), who emphasised the need for strong spatial planning to avoid conflicts between nature and renewable energy development, as well as the inclusion of local communities and a comprehensive sustainable energy strategy for the UK.
The panel was followed by questions from the audience, which initiated a lively and thoughtful debate – including the political barriers to overcoming sustainable energy challenges, the need for greater certainty for the renewable energy industry, and the urgent need for better spatial planning using robust ecological data. The wide-ranging questions indicated just how comprehensive the sustainable energy challenge really is, and the need for multiple stakeholders to work together to come towards a solution.
The debate prompted the start of many important conversations about how the UK can meet its climate targets in harmony with nature, and we hope to keep these conversations going as the UK makes critical decisions about its role in the global low carbon transition. You can continue to join the debate online at #power4nature, or if you have any thoughts or comments contact climate@rspb.org.uk. We all need to be part of this vital conversation; we look forward to hearing from you.
Matt Williams, Assistant Warden, RSPB Snape.