Windfarm cuts will cost communties and damage carbon savings

Reacting to the publication of figures showing the impact of UK Government cuts to onshore wind Dr Richard Dixon, Director of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said:

“These figures show that the UK Government’s ideological crusade against windfarms will increase carbon emissions by considerably more than Scotland’s annual total emissions and cost communities a million pounds in lost payments, all to cut just 30p off consumers’ bills. It is hard to see how the UK will avoid the dunce's corner at the UN climate conference in Paris in December.

“With their nuclear plans falling apart and fracking going nowhere the UK Government is going to have to change its mind and back renewables in a big way if are going to have an affordable and reliable supply of power across the UK in the coming decades.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

1. The Impact Assessment is here: http://www.parliament.uk/documents/impact-assessments/IA15-007D.pdf

2. Friends of the Earth Scotland is:
* Scotland's leading environmental campaigning organisation
* An independent Scottish charity with a network of thousands of supporters and active local groups across Scotland
* Part of the largest grassroots environmental network in the world, uniting over 2 million supporters, 75 national member groups, and some 5,000 local activist groups.
www.foe-scotland.org.uk