The UK’s shadow energy secretary has told a major conference in London that a Labour government would make Britain a clean energy superpower, should the opposition party win the next general election.
Ed Miliband, who is the Labour party's shadow minister for energy security and net zero, promised delegates at International Energy Week that “becoming a top clean energy superpower will be one of the top priorities of a Labour government”.
“It’ll be one of Keir Starmer’s five missions for government. That’s because he sees it as being about good jobs, growing our economy, lower bills and energy security.
“So, it’s not just a climate mission. It’s a security mission, it’s a growth mission and it’s a cost-of-living mission.”
Earlier, Prof Jim Skea, the chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, told the IEW audience that in a stocktake of where the world is currently on climate change, the picture could be described as “pretty gloomy.”
“The world continues to warm and depending on which data set you use, we may or may not have passed the 1.5ºC threshold last year.”
“Things that we expected to happen decades in the future, actually started to happen last year – wildfires, extreme events, etc.”
Nonetheless, while Prof Skea noted that global emissions were still going up, he said the trend had been “bent”.
“We identified about 20 countries around the world where we’ve seen sustained reductions in emissions,” he added.
Value for money
Meanwhile, in his speech to the gathering of energy industry leaders, company executives, economists and academics and policymakers, Mr Miliband added that a clean power system was “the linchpin of net zero”.
Mr Miliband said a possible future Labour government could not “reject any power sources, we need them all, providing they are value for money”.
“Our 2030 clean power aim means doubling onshore wind, trebling solar power, quadrupling offshore wind with support from nuclear power and other technologies.”
As such, Mr Miliband said that should he become the UK’s next energy minister, on day one in the job he would lift the ban on onshore wind development.
“It’s costing families £180 a year in higher bills. The current government could overturn this ban very easily, it doesn’t require legislation. But there is a culture of inertia and stasis,” he said.
Noting that many in the audience were from the oil and gas companies, Mr Miliband also said it was “vital to have a managed transition” in the sector, “for energy security, for workers and so we can use the extraordinary infrastructure of the North Sea for our future”.
Labour’s plan is to use the existing oil and gasfields for their lifetimes, beyond which the North Sea can be used for carbon capture and storage (CCS), hydrogen and other future technology.
Mr Miliband went on to say that the delivery of clean energy by 2030 depended not so much on the scale of public investment, but the removal of barriers to private investment.
“I want you to be in no doubt that we stand ready to do what it takes with political will to help unleash the private investment to help deliver the future that I am laying out,” he said.
“We see public investment crowding-in, not crowding-out private investment. That is the lesson of the US Inflation Reduction Act.”
The Labour Party recently dropped its pledge to spend £28 billion a year on green projects should it win the next general election.
In the event that it forms the next government, the Labour Party replaced the promise with a new one of spending £23.7 billion over the course of the next parliament, essentially cutting the annual amount by more than 75 per cent.
Mr Miliband listed several of Labour’s public investment plans – from upgrading ports so offshore wind turbines can be made in Britain to industrial clusters to hasten the development of CCS and hydrogen, and from investment in battery factories to putting money into steel.
'Big economic opportunity'
But he was adamant that while the road to net zero was about large and small projects and adjusting consumer demand and habits, the outcome of decarbonisation was not just positive in terms of global temperature reduction but also in terms of baseline economic growth.
“It really matters that we see this as the big economic opportunity of the 21st century,” he said.
“There’s a tendency for us to talk about this, and I think it’s certainly true among parts of the green movement, in a much too hair-shirtish a way.
“This is a positive vision to make people’s lives better. This about warmer homes, this is about good jobs for people and it is about lower bills.
“That’s not to say there are not trade-offs and difficulties when managing the [energy] transition, but I think we should feel that this is positive and exciting and is the vision of the future that the country needs, rather than some burden that we’ve simply got to take on.”
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
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Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
Company Profile
Company name: Yeepeey
Started: Soft launch in November, 2020
Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani
Based: Dubai
Industry: E-grocery
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Read more about the coronavirus
2019 Asian Cup final
Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Previous men's records
- 2:01:39: Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) on 16/9/19 in Berlin
- 2:02:57: Dennis Kimetto (KEN) on 28/09/2014 in Berlin
- 2:03:23: Wilson Kipsang (KEN) on 29/09/2013 in Berlin
- 2:03:38: Patrick Makau (KEN) on 25/09/2011 in Berlin
- 2:03:59: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 28/09/2008 in Berlin
- 2:04:26: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 30/09/2007 in Berlin
- 2:04:55: Paul Tergat (KEN) on 28/09/2003 in Berlin
- 2:05:38: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 14/04/2002 in London
- 2:05:42: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 24/10/1999 in Chicago
- 2:06:05: Ronaldo da Costa (BRA) 20/09/1998 in Berlin
The years Ramadan fell in May
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
The specs
Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder
Power: 220 and 280 horsepower
Torque: 350 and 360Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh136,521 VAT and Dh166,464 VAT
On sale: now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The years Ramadan fell in May
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 2 (Heaton (og) 42', Lindelof 64')
Aston Villa 2 (Grealish 11', Mings 66')
MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Who: Marseille v Atletico Madrid
Where: Parc OL, Lyon, France
When: Wednesday, 10.45pm kick off (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The years Ramadan fell in May
Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier
UAE results
Beat China by 16 runs
Lost to Thailand by 10 wickets
Beat Nepal by five runs
Beat Hong Kong by eight wickets
Beat Malaysia by 34 runs
Standings (P, W, l, NR, points)
1. Thailand 5 4 0 1 9
2. UAE 5 4 1 0 8
3. Nepal 5 2 1 2 6
4. Hong Kong 5 2 2 1 5
5. Malaysia 5 1 4 0 2
6. China 5 0 5 0 0
Final
Thailand v UAE, Monday, 7am
Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.
Stat of the day - 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.
The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227 for four at the close.
RESULTS
1.45pm: Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winners: Hyde Park, Royston Ffrench (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
2.15pm: Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Shamikh, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard
2.45pm: Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Hurry Up, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3.15pm: Shadwell Jebel Ali Mile Group 3 (TB) Dh575,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Blown by Wind, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
3.45pm: Handicap (TB) Dh72,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Mazagran, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
4.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh64,000 (D) 1,950m
Winner: Obeyaan, Adrie de Vries, Mujeeb Rehman
4.45pm: Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Shanaghai City, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly.
Where to buy art books in the UAE
There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.
In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show.
In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.
In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
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