It’s not overstating the argument to claim that the fate of millions of species depends on whether the UK, and other industrialised nations, continue to burn coal without capturing and storing the carbon emissions this produces.
James Hansen, a climate specialist with NASA, has estimated that a single coal fired power station without carbon capture and storage technology (CCS) – just like the one proposed for Kingsnorth, in Kent – would be responsible for the extinction of around 400 species of plants, birds and animals.
And this is why today's Government announcements about coal policy are of such critical importance; and why the RSPB is campaigning with others to see an end to dirty coal.
Our head of climate change policy, Ruth Davis, scrutinised today’s news: “Let’s be clear: today's announcements represent a critical step forward for UK climate policy. For the first time, the Government has signalled to power companies that they cannot build plants with no carbon capture and storage facilities; and for the first time, they have made substantial and reliable funding available to demonstrate that technology.
“Ed Milliband, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, deserves warm congratulations for the principle and determination he has shown in getting to this point.”
But – and, unfortunately, there is a but – the real test of the Government's policies is still to come. Under the current proposals, it would be possible for the equivalent of two ‘Kingsnorths’ to be built without carbon capture and storage facilities kicking in until 2025, even though each individual plant will be required to capture a portion of its emissions.
What’s worse, this amount of dirty coal power could continue for decades, if it can't be proven that CCS technology is practical and economic. And, as yet, there are no plans to ensure that all coal fired power stations will be required to have CCS in the future.
“Locking the UK into unabated coal for decades would be a disaster for wildlife and people,” says Ruth. “To prevent this, the Government must show how CCS policies will tighten over time, to get dirty coal out of our electricity system as quickly as we can, and forever.
"They must also introduce an absolute requirement for new coal plants to have CCS by a fixed date, or – quite simply – to close. An Emissions Performance Standard for power plants – something that the RSPB supports – could do both these jobs.”
This summer in the run up to the UN climate change convention in December, decisions made will be made on the climate which could determine the fate of life on earth. One of the most important of these will be whether countries like the UK are prepared to turn their back on dirty coal once and for all.