A Last Word From Tony Blair?

There is at least one policy area where both ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair and new PM, Gordon Brown appear to agree...and that is in respect of energy policy.

Before leaving office, Mr Blair made a number of important comments that have implications for us all over the coming months and years

On security of supply and cost:

• "Flicking a switch and the lights coming on is something we take for granted.  Yet we should not be lulled into a false sense of security.   We face a serious challenge in securing our energy supplies.   From being 80% self-sufficient by 2020 Britain will be importing almost all our gas and more than half our oil requirements."
• "Increasingly we will be importing energy from less stable parts of the world and more exposed to international markets at just the time as China and India are dramatically increasing their consumption.   As if that were not enough, we are now faced with countries such as Russia who are prepared to use their energy resources as an instrument of policy."
• "Over 10 years I have watched energy policy go from being a quiet policy backwater to something taking on a strategic importance that could be as crucial to our country's future as defence."

On climate change:

• "The Stern report showed that without concerted global action, the impact of climate change will equate to a loss in world GDP of at least 5% each year and potentially as much as 20%"
• "Our choice is not between growth and non-growth - it is between high carbon growth and low carbon growth."   New technology is critical to this.   Electricity, heat and transport account for most greenhouse gas emissions, but it is possible to achieve the same level of light, heat and mobility while cutting or even eliminating carbon emissions.

On the solution:

• "We need significant private sector investment in infrastructure to deliver the energy we need.   We have brought forward legislation to streamline the planning process.  We will continue to tackle barriers to investment in the UK to enable the market to move in the right direction."
• This shift to a low-carbon economy will bring huge opportunities.   Tackling climate change and planning for our long term energy security is the pro-growth strategy; ignoring it will ultimately undermine economic growth."

It is clear that business leaders also agree with Mr Blair, as you can read here...