The Observer view on Britain's climate crisis targets | Observer editorial

The UK's green energy initiatives are failing just at the moment when we hold the leadership of Cop26Britain's electricity generation went through an unfortunate phase last year. According to the UK-based website Carbon Brief, it got dirtier for the first time in years as renewable sources failed to provide sufficient power to help the nation's economy recover from lockdown restrictions. More coal and gas had to be burned to generate electricity.This jump occurred - in part - because 2021 was notable for its low winds. Wind farm output dropped by almost 15% from 2020, despite the fact that more turbines had been installed across the nation. At the same time, nuclear power generation fell by almost 10% because of problems with ageing reactors. Continue reading...