Letter to Chris Huhne, UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, 10 June 2010

The letter advocates for a national programme of energy efficiency and a reduction in overall energy demand to improve energy security. It calls for an increase in the 2020 renewable energy target, a tenfold increase in renewable R&D funding—potentially funded by military budget cuts—and the implementation of a Renewable Heat Incentive. The authors argue against new nuclear build, insisting the industry pay full costs for waste management and insurance without public subsidies, and suggest delaying construction decisions until safety and waste assessments are complete.

• The authors advocate for a national programme of energy efficiency for homes and businesses, arguing that such measures could generate "many tens of thousands of new jobs" and provide more employment per unit of investment than other energy and climate policies.
• The document urges the government to increase the 2020 renewable energy target and calls for a tenfold increase in R&D funding for renewables, specifically marine technologies. The authors suggest this funding could be sourced from the military R&D budget, which they state is approximately £2.5 billion.
• The authors oppose new nuclear build and argue that the nuclear industry should not receive public subsidies. Specifically, they state the industry should pay the full costs of radioactive waste disposal and commercial insurance, and that the government should abandon the 'Fixed Unit Price' for waste and the upper limit guarantee for accident insurance costs.
• The letter claims that current approval processes for nuclear power stations are flawed because safety assessments for reactor designs and the radioactive waste management strategy have not been completed, leaving the government vulnerable to legal challenges if decisions are made prematurely.

APA

Scientists for Global Responsibility (2010). Letter to Chris Huhne, UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, 10 June 2010. https://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/uk-energy-and-climate-policy-sgr-letter

Chicago

Scientists for Global Responsibility. Letter to Chris Huhne, UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, 10 June 2010. 2010. https://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/uk-energy-and-climate-policy-sgr-letter.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Scientists for Global Responsibility |title=Letter to Chris Huhne, UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, 10 June 2010 |date=10 June 2010 |url=https://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/uk-energy-and-climate-policy-sgr-letter |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{scientistsforglobalresponsibility2010letter, author = {{Scientists for Global Responsibility}}, title = {{Letter to Chris Huhne, UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, 10 June 2010}}, publisher = {Scientists for Global Responsibility}, year = {2010}, month = jun, url = {https://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/uk-energy-and-climate-policy-sgr-letter}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }