But gaining an appetite for saving cash? "People hate this green stuff" a senior member of the British Shadow Cabinet was recently quoted as saying. That may come as a surprise - until very recently I’ve been writing enthusiastically of the rapid progress of European governments on green issues. However, as high energy prices begin to bite, and the world teeters on the brink of recession Europe is looking "at this green stuff" like a 10 year old staring at a plate of sprouts. After strong rhetoric from Britain’s Labour government last year promising emissions cuts of up to 80%, the harsh face of reality looks very different. 60 of Britain’s138 green targets have been missed, and planned policies on many issues, from landfill to transport to renewable energy, are being reconsidered as voters recoil at the prospect of additional pressure on household budgets. And it’s not just the UK government that’s under pressure. On the mainland, Germany is attempting to reduce its generous solar energy subsidies , and the European Parliament is facing renewed calls from airlines to delay pollution measures amid renewed fears of bankruptcy in the aviation industry. Meanwhile, alarmed by unexpected costs, Shell has pulled out of the London Array wind farm project which is planned to provide carbon free energy to 750,000 homes. "We’ve made a decision not to proceed with it and we don’t feel very good about that," said Shell spokesman James Smith. C ...
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But gaining an appetite for saving cash? "People hate this green stuff" a senior member of the British Shadow Cabinet was recently quoted as saying. That may come as a surprise - until very recently I’ve been writing enthusiastically of the rapid progress of European governments on green issues. However, as high energy prices begin to bite, and the world teeters on the brink of recession Europe is looking "at this green stuff" like a 10 year old staring at a plate of sprouts. After strong rhetoric from Britain’s Labour government last year promising emissions cuts of up to 80%, the harsh face of reality looks very different. 60 of Britain’s138 green targets have been missed, and planned policies on many issues, from landfill to transport to renewable energy, are being reconsidered as voters recoil at the prospect of additional pressure on household budgets. And it’s not just the UK government that’s under pressure. On the mainland, Germany is attempting to reduce its generous solar energy subsidies , and the European Parliament is facing renewed calls from airlines to delay pollution measures amid renewed fears of bankruptcy in the aviation industry. Meanwhile, alarmed by unexpected costs, Shell has pulled out of the London Array wind farm project which is planned to provide carbon free energy to 750,000 homes. "We’ve made a decision not to proceed with it and we don’t feel very good about that," said Shell spokesman James Smith. C ...