The Good Law Project has secured an
important concession from the government on its energy policy. It
has recently reported as follows:
'The Government has at last accepted it must review its outdated
energy policy that has allowed fossil fuel projects to be forced
through. This important concession from Government, which can be
read here, followed
judicial review proceedings launched by Good Law Project in March
alongside noted environmentalists Dale Vince and George
Monbiot.
The policy in question was published back in 2011 and sets out
the Government's strategy for meeting the energy needs of the
country. But it forces a presumption in favour of fossil
fuels and fails to take into account a number of commitments by the
Government to tackle the climate crisis, including in the Paris
Agreement and the Netzero by 2050 commitment enacted by Parliament
in 2019.
It has meant that approval to frack in Lancashire or permission
for a Gas-fired power station can be forced through, without regard
for our national and international commitments - or the needs of
the planet. As we teeter on the brink of climate crisis, the
commitment from Government to review this policy has been hard-won
and essential.
But it does not go far enough. We claimed not only that
Government should review the Energy National Policy Statement - a
claim that the Secretary of State has conceded - but also that the
NPS should be suspended whilst the review is carried out. Unless
Government concedes on this point too we will continue with the
remainder of our challenge. The letter from our legal team to
Government can be read here.
For those of us terrified of the impending climate catastrophe,
this is an important victory and proof that the law is a powerful
tool to force the Government to fulfil its obligations. Litigation
of this scale and importance is undeniably difficult and success is
never certain. But we are able to take on these cases because of
the support of thousands of people like you.
Thank you,
Jolyon Maugham QC
Director of Good Law Project'