Climate Change - inertia not an option

Edited by the Manufacturingtalk editorial team Oct 6, 2004

Experts at utilities specialists McKinnon and Clarke are warning that unless UK industry takes responsibility for its energy wastage, the problems could have greater implications.

Following Tony Blair's speech on CO2 emissions, and an announcement that Russia is only one step away from signing the Kyoto agreement, experts at international utilities specialists McKinnon and Clarke are warning that unless UK industry is pressurised by the government to take responsibility for their energy wastage, the problems could have far greater implications than anticipated.

As Mr Blair outlined in his recent speech, industry cannot afford to ignore the warning signs that the environment is under threat: melting glaciers, declining sea ice and snow cover and increasingly frequent weather conditions are all factors which demonstrate that our environment is changing.

But what is industry doing about it? Simon Northrop, Managing Director of McKinnon and Clarke explains, "Even as energy prices have risen over the last year, the reaction from industry has been to be more shrewd in the purchasing of their utilities.

While this provides a short-term solution and reduces their energy costs, it does not address the real issue threatening our environment - energy wastage.

Unless the commercial sector takes real steps to reduce energy wastage and increase energy efficiency the environment will continue to suffer at the hands of industry.

Legislation is such that businesses are manipulating data and measurement principles to hit targets but we face the very real danger of hitting government targets in the future with no corresponding reduction in CO2 emissions.

The only way around this is for the government to step up the pressure on the commercial sector by setting minimum standards of energy efficiency performance.

This is not a problem that is going to go away and the government needs to stop kidding itself and take drastic action for the sake of our environment." McKinnon and Clarke has a comprehensive view of the energy, water and telecoms market, looking not only at price reduction but at energy efficiency, and consumption reduction.