Renew On Line (UK) 29

Extracts from the Nov-Dec 2000 edition of Renew
These extracts only represent about 25% of it

Appendix: an extract from our Groups section on reactions to the UK fuel price protest

UK Fuel Price crisis - what the green groups said

Last Septembers protests by farmers and truck drivers against the rise in prices of diesel fuel followed a somewhat less effective 'Dump the Pump' consumer protest over the rising cost of petrol. In response to the latter, Friends of the Earth argued that this was ‘a waste of energy and should have been avoided by anybody who truly cares about the environment’. They noted that:

• Fuel tax rises are an essential part of policy to tackle climate change, the gravest environmental threat facing the world. Road transport is the second fastest growing British source of CO2, the main climate change gas.

• Car drivers don't pay the full cost of their driving. Road transport costs the environment £42 billion a year. Tax raised from road transport totals £23 billion a year.

• Government figures show that the cost of motoring has not changed in real terms (after inflation) in the last 25 years. In the same period train fares have gone up by 53% and bus fares by 87%.

• Cheaper fuel would do nothing to tackle congestion, nor will it help cut air pollution and accidents. The Government estimates that up to 24,000 people die prematurely every year from air pollution, much of it caused by road traffic.

• According to Government figures, 59% of Britain's poorest households do not own a car, including 42% of the poorest households in rural areas.’ (see www.foe.co.uk ).

They could have added that, actually, last years budget halted the automatic 6% annual fuel price escalator initially introduced (at 5%) by the Tories. Of course, it could be argued, price rises don’t have much impact on car use, but at least the government also agreed that in future any above-inflation increases in fuel duties will be ringfenced for public transport spending. That, along with the £180bn allocated to transport improvements in the last budget (with one third to go to rail), could have a longer term effect. So could switching over to more efficient cars. In the middle of the fuel blockade,

Friends of the Earth issued a press release (14 Sept.) welcoming Toyota's new Prius - a petrol-electric hybrid car capable of 57.6 mpg, which had just come on sale.

Roger Higman, Senior Transport Campaigner at Friends of the Earth said ‘The petrol-electric hybrid is twice as efficient as an ordinary petrol car - and cleaner too. This launch shows that manufacturers are responding to the Government's fuel tax policy by introducing more efficient cars. If the Government cuts fuel prices now, this response will go unrewarded’.

Greenpeace adopted an even more visionary line arguing that ‘a hydrogen economy, based on fuel cells powered by renewable energy is just around the corner. Instead of campaigning for lower fuel prices, haulage companies should be working with vehicle manufacturers and politicians to speed up this transition'

See its subsequent call for a Green Fuel Fund – details below

For its part, SERA submitted a resolution to the then imminent Labour Party Conference condemning the blockades as ‘misguided and irresponsible’ and reminding the government of its international environmental commitments (Kyoto etc.) but recognising the problems that resulted from relatively high fuel prices. So it called on the government to:

- cut Vehicle Excise Duty for small fuel efficient vehicles

- set up grants to help hauliers convert to LPG & other clean fuels

- reform agricultural subsidies to increase support for small farms using environmentally beneficial techniques and organic conversion.

They could have added that the ‘red’ diesel that farmers currently use is heavily subsidised. Unless that subsidy is phased out (over time presumably) there would be little incentive to change.

Jonathon Porritt summarised the green view very well in an article in the Observer (17/9) arguing that, if Labour gave in to the protests then they might as well forget about Kyoto and COP-6.

Greenpeace Fuel Fund

At the Greenpeace Business Conference in Oct., Greenpeace called on the Government to establish a Green Fuel Fund using a small percentage of the revenue they get from oil.’One pence per litre of the fuel tax or a third of a penny on oil produced in UK waters would create a £500 million fund which would enable green electricity from wind, wave and solar power to become established industries in the UK and allow hydrogen and biofuels to become widely available as alternatives to oil for transport’.

Peter Melchett commented "The UK is as dependent on climate-damaging fossil fuels in the year 2000 as it was at the time of the last oil crisis thirty years ago. The Government could turn the fuel protests into an asset if they responded by directing a small fraction of oil revenues towards alternatives like hydrogen fuel cells, biofuels and clean power from the sun, the wind and the waves. This is an historic opportunity to break our addiction to fossil fuels, massively improve the quality of our lives and generate a new high tech industry for Britain."

Greenpeace reported that 68% of respondents to an NOP poll said they would be happier paying the current tax if some of it was spent on reducing pollution, and added ‘The Government have been running away from the real justification for a fuel tax - to stop climate change and improve air quality. Greenpeace is not afraid to make the case for high petrol prices and we will go out to the fuel protests and put it directly to truckers and farmers if they return to the refineries.

* Our Technology section looks at some low emission cars, see also the excellent UK electric vehicles site http://www.evuk.co.uk