Ed Miliband travels to Bakuʼs climate meeting with 470 people‚ showing a funny side of green politics - he visits an oil-rich nation while pushing others to drop fossil fuels (just like when he told people to buy electric cars but didnt have one himself)
His climate-change plans look good on paper but dont add up: he wants zero-net emissions by 2050 grid changes by 2030‚ and huge carbon cuts by 35. The numbers behind these ideas show some real problems
The money stuff isnt working right: govt numbers say weʼll pay £14-billion in green taxes by 29 (thats £3.4-billion more than planned). The Institute for Fiscal Studies shows each home will pay £120 extra yearly; even Milibands own energy office says prices will go up
British factories are having a hard time: our power costs 50% more than other rich countries Its four-times higher than China; three-times more than USA and Canada. Even European friends like France and Finland do better cause they use nuclear power
The tech problems are big too - wind and solar dont work all the time which means:
- Power might not always be there
- We might need to limit usage
- Backup systems cost extra money
Chinese companies like Mingyang Smart Energy are building stuff in our seas; but Norway wont let them work there cause they dont trust them. Weʼre trading one kind of foreign dependence for another - and maybe a worse one