By Gerard Wynn
London - Britain has a "rubbish" record on energy efficiency, its top sustainable development adviser Jonathon Porritt said on Wednesday, citing a failure of policy ambition, understanding and coherence.
The UK's "mediocrity" would see low-carbon dollars go elsewhere as investors geared up for long-term growth in clean technologies, said Porritt, chair of the Sustainable Development Commission which advises government, and a green campaigner.
Porritt listed failures including lack of ambition, confused delivery and an over-emphasis on energy supply.
"That why we're so rubbish at this in the UK," he told business and policy executives at an Energy Institute conference in central London.
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"After 35 years (working) in sustainability I can't remember one government minister talk with deep knowledge and passion about efficiency," said Porritt, who was appointed chair of the Commission by former Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2000, and who leaves the post next month.
"My hunch is China will lead us into a low-carbon future not Europe or America," he added, referring to some Chinese city targets to install solar PV panels across all homes by 2010.
Some 45 percent of Britain's planet-warming carbon emissions come from buildings, uses such as heating rooms and powering kettles, fridges and televisions, and improving efficiency is widely recognised as the cheapest way to fight climate change.
Porritt, former director of green pressure group Friends of the Earth, was scathing about the government's scheme for delivery through utilities whose main business is to sell as much power and gas as possible.
"It's a scheme to set aside market realism by inflicting damage on your own business. We have been conducting an experiment in the totally impossible."
The Carbon Emissions Reduction Target obliges energy suppliers to offer subsidised kit such as loft insulation and low-energy light bulbs which the companies can recoup through a levy on energy bills.
"We're aiming to insulate 6 million homes under that and other schemes from 2008 to 2011," said a government spokeswoman.
Porritt argued that proceeds from levies should be handed to bodies whose exclusive role was to drive efficiency.
He said Britain had shown a lack of ambition in funding and the use of carbon and power prices to curb energy use and carbon emissions.
"We need to get these prices to be painful. I know people don't like to talk about pain but it's one of the great drivers of change," he said, adding poor people could be compensated.
Porritt said Britain's environment ministry had lost out in years of in-fighting with trade and business departments, leading to a focus on major energy supply projects.
"DEFRA (the department for environment, food and rural affairs), as a relatively weak department, was endlessly beaten up. Supply-side interests have proved to be very durable." - Reuters
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