After the Election: The Future of Green Energy Prospects

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As I write this, David Cameron is addressing the press outside Downing Street having just secured a shock majority government. The talk in recent days of an almost guaranteed hung parliament completely dissipated when the first exit polls signalled a clear Tory victory, prompting heated debate between pundits and political parties from a broad spectrum.

Nigel Farage, Nick Clegg, and Ed Miliband all resigned as party leaders whilst Cameron visited the Queen for permission to form a government. In his victory speech, Cameron acknowledged the need for a united Britain, as well as means to tackle the housing crisis, secure jobs for the future, and finally provide an in-out referendum on Britain’s EU membership.

Although there were many causalities in this political bloodbath, the biggest of all is the overlooked future and security of our planet’s climate. Climate change was one of the centrepieces of the Green Party manifesto, but blatantly absent from the pledges of other party leaders. During the 2010 election, the Conservatives made several promises to boost investment in British green energy firms and cap international spending on non-renewable fuel sources. They were on track to be the greenest Conservative government in British history, but of course, the pledges were abandoned and international energy expenditure almost tripled.

So politicians lie. This is nothing new, but when it’s at the expense of our planet and climate for the sake of scoring political points, I find myself feeling nothing but anger toward the out-and-out lies of the Tories. What’s even worse is that we now must endure 5 more years of little-to-no development on progressive green energy policies. Many of the UK's biggest green energy investments, including an upcoming state of the art energy from waste facility, offshore energy generators, and a series of overseas hydro-power and solar-power projects now stand at risk. Without an electorate to answer to anymore, the Conservatives are free to dismiss eco-energy concerns and focus on their core policies.

One of the biggest concerns is what will become of the money and investments pledged to green energy. During the last government, the coalition used its pre-determined energy investment budget for exactly the opposite, such as securing deals with the previously sanctioned Russian Federation for a collaborative gas energy project, or financing the corrupt Brazilian firm Petroban for oil exploration.

Frustratingly, I had previously hoped that Cameron would have to answer for this during the election cycle. Unfortunately, public attention was focused on other pressing issues facing the UK, such as rising Scottish nationalism and European Union membership. In comparison to largely political and social issues, climate change rarely gets the media attention or focus in Westminster that it actually deserves. We could normally hope for a swell in support post-election cycle, in which people focused on the less divisive and, in my opinion, more pressing issues.

At this point, it's difficult to see how a majority Conservative government could possibly do worse than the coalition did, but history has shown this party never fails to lower the bar. During its term, the coalition spent roughly £3.7 million on green energy projects based in Britain or stationed abroad by a British company. This pales in comparison to the massive £1.5 billion spent on non-renewable energy projects around the globe. In the face of an increasingly environmentally conscious stance from the general public, I'm disappointed that the issue wasn't explored or put to Cameron during the entire election cycle.

With a new government due to form over the coming weeks, we can only hope that its record on the environment isn't a complete shambles. I’d also like to hope that with Cameron pledging this be his final term in office, the Conservatives can put aside grievances that may have existed within the coalition to focus on the important issues facing our planet, and find meaningful solutions that will carry on beyond them.