Friends of the Earth reacted to Gordon Brown's promise today that he would set out measures to make Britain a world leader in producing and exporting electric cars in this month's budget with calls for investment in renewable energy.

"Gordon Brown's electric dream is commendable but essentially misses the point - renewable energy is what we need," said Friends of the Earth's executive director Andy Atkins. "Electric cars are only as green as the energy they run on - and the renewable energy industry is on its knees.

"Only by dramatically ramping up support to renewable energy companies and cutting energy waste will we cut greenhouse gas emissions fast enough to avoid a climate catastrophe. The Government must set out plans in the Budget to make every home a low-carbon home - ending fuel poverty, slashing emissions and creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs.

"It is vital that the UK demonstrates green leadership ahead of urgent UN climate change talks in Copenhagen later this year. It's not a question of whether we can afford a green fiscal stimulus - we simply can't afford not to."

Hear hear, say all of us at YouGen. We agree. (And how come Gordon Brown's making budget announcements? Didn't he make Alastair Darling Chancellor?)

photo by scoobygirl

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