Fresh energy

News that the average Briton’s carbon “footprint” is now at levels last seen in the mid-19th century says as much about the gradual de-industrialisation of the country as it does about the success in switching to renewable energy sources. The year 1859 saw the expansion of the railways, cotton mills and the rapid growth of towns and cities, all fuelled by the burning of coal.

But the pursuit of cleaner power, backed by legislation and punitive taxes to reduce emissions, means the fuel that once drove the engines of empire now accounts for just 5 per cent of electricity production. The aim is to phase coal out entirely by 2025.

The move away from fossil fuels has accelerated as wind and solar energy costs have fallen. But we need to be careful before putting all our energy eggs into the renewables basket, certainly while the future of nuclear power remains uncertain. We remain heavily reliant upon imported oil and especially gas from parts of the word where supplies are threatened by regional unrest and war. A few years ago, the discovery of vast quantities of shale gas appeared to presage a period of falling energy costs and declining emissions, since it is cleaner than coal and would obviate the need for imports. But public protests and legal actions have thwarted its exploitation.

Only this week has permission finally been granted for fracking to begin in Lancashire, though objectors are still trying to stop it. The great shale revolution foreseen just 10 years ago has failed to materialise and the Government no longer shows much enthusiasm for the process. Yet a secure and reliable domestic source of gas, supplanting imports, is worth pursuing.