- Former Friends of the Earth Executive Director to chair new pro-renewable energy group, ‘Action for Renewables’.
- High-profile journalists, environmental activists and politicians from across the political spectrum form new group’s Campaign Advisory Board.
- Groundbreaking partnership of NGOs, trade unions, grassroots voices and industry to deliver green energy
The Former Executive Director of Friends of the Earth, Tony Juniper, has been appointed Chairman of Action for Renewables (A4R), an unprecedented alliance of NGOs, trade unions, grassroots activists and industry bodies to campaign for the expansion of renewable energy.
Making his first public statement as Chairman of A4R, Tony Juniper said: “The case for renewable energy is clear. The UK needs to play its part in tackling climate change, which we can achieve by harnessing our extensive natural energy resources. Carefully harnessed, the abundant and wholly sustainable energy from the wind, the sea and the sun can meet virtually all our energy needs – and in doing so will displace the need for imported and expensive fossil fuels. The new green industries which will achieve this will also generate tens of thousands of new jobs in some of the most deprived areas of the country.”
“To do this, we need to bring the public with us. For too long the media and the internet have been dominated by myths and hearsay about renewables. This campaign is about setting the record straight and encouraging people to stand up and support properly-sited renewable energy developments around the country.
“The silent majority in support of renewables needs to make its voice heard – now more than ever. Action for Renewables intends to give it the tools to achieve just that.”
Tony has recorded a video about the importance of renewable energy, which can be found on the A4R website: http://www.actionforrenewables.org/videos/message-tony-juniper.
Maria McCaffery, RenewableUK’s Chief Executive said: “This comes at a crucial time for renewables. There are still some difficult challenges in the Government’s localism agenda and reforms to the electricity market, so we are working closely with all the relevant government departments to establish the right political and economic framework for delivering both our national renewable energy targets and the employment and investment benefits for UK plc.
“We know from repeated surveys that the majority of the public support renewable energy. Historically, this support has been drowned out by a vociferous minority. Action for Renewables is more than a campaign – it’s a partnership between industry, NGOs, politicians and the public to deliver clean, green and secure energy supplies. I am delighted that Tony has joined us in this endeavour – his commitment will help us make a real difference.”
Source: RenewableUK
