(Swansea West)
(Lab/Co-op):...We need a transition towards the electrification of
all our trains and buses sooner rather than later. We need to
incentivise, through scrappage schemes, the switchover to electric
cars for normal consumers. It is unfortunate that the roll-out of
much of the electric grid is in the hands of BP, which has a vested
interested in slowing it down in order to sell more petrol and
diesel. We need to re-engineer our duties to incentivise people
towards a sustainable future and for the Government to invest in
public transport alternatives. There are a lot of technological
opportunities. Our subsidy focus should move from fossil fuel to
renewable energy—whether wave, wind or solar—and towards the
manufacture of associated products.
: Everyone talks about
electric cars, but we should also be talking about hydrogen,
which is a very clean fuel. Hydrogen could power cars and trains,
too.
: I completely agree
with the hon. Gentleman. Hydrogen is a major part of the mix for
the future in terms of transport. He makes an excellent point.
There are opportunities for solar tiles on public buildings or
even roads. New technology can make buildings net contributors
and help us to move towards carbon neutrality before 2050. The
latest projections are that there will be a 1.5° increase in
global temperatures by 2030, and not 2040 as previously thought.
We need to look again at such ideas as the Swansea Bay tidal
lagoon, which was rejected by the Conservative party on the
grounds that it would have been done through the private sector
and backed by very expensive private equity loans. This should be
public sector investment, with low interest rates over a 120-year
timeline, in light of the fact that 80% of all identified fossil
fuels are unexploitable if we are to avoid irreversible climate
change.
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