March 12, 2008

scientists and engineers react to the 2008 budget

The Science Media Centre asked experts to comment on 2008 budget announcements concerning zero-carbon buildings, road-pricing, emissions targets, alcohol duty and green homes.

A spokesperson for the Royal Academy of Engineering, said:

“On new non-domestic buildings to become zero-carbon from 2019:
While the Academy welcomes this target, strong definitions of what comprises zero-carbon in this context are needed. A modest target to reduce the carbon footprint of existing non-domestic buildings could yield significantly higher carbon savings than mandating zero-carbon for new build.

“On funding for testing proposals for road pricing:
The Academy welcomes the Government’s commitment to further research and testing of road pricing schemes, but warns that, unlike in London, the objectives of reducing congestion and reducing emissions should not be confused. Motorists should pay the full economic cost of their journeys and road pricing should be designed to encourage drivers to take decisions on routes and timings of journeys that are beneficial to congestion as a whole and to do this road pricing must be combined with making real time congestion available to drivers and varying of price according to congestion conditions. It should be noted that routing vehicles away from congested areas may increase mileage and emissions and this is why the two aims of congestion and emission reductions are not always compatible.

“On raising targets for emissions cuts to 80% by 2050:
The Academy is currently working on the policy implications of raising emission reduction targets from 60% to 80% by 2050. It is not yet clear whether this will involve trying harder with the policies we already have in place or whether a completely new approach will be required.

“On £26m to help make homes greener:
When, after 20 years of trying to increase the number of homes with adequate attic insulation has left 70% of the housing stock still under insulated, £26M seems a woefully inadequate amount of investment in the area.”

Professor Sir John Bell, President, Academy of Medical Sciences, said:

“We welcome the increase in tax on alcoholic drinks. Our report ‘Calling Time: The Nation’s drinking as a major health issue’ published in 2004 concluded that tax increases are a highly effective approach to reducing the medical harms of alcohol consumption, particularly for under-age drinkers.”

Tom Foulkes, Director General, Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), said:

“Whether the target is 60% or 80% by 2050, climate change reduction cannot be delivered without civil engineers. However, the Climate Committee does not have an engineer amongst its membership. The ICE calls for this omission to be rectified, and also renews its call for the appointment of a Chief Civil Advisor to assist Government and the Prime Minister in the achievement of their policies and objectives.”

Nick Dusic, Director of the Campaign for Science and Engineering, said:

“The Chancellor highlighted the UK’s history of scientific invention as central to the UK’s success in the global economy. It is critical that tomorrow’s innovation white paper puts investing in science and engineering at the heart of the Government’s new innovation agenda. The UK needs to redouble its efforts to produce highly skilled graduates and cutting-edge research.”

Nick Reeves, Executive Director, Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM), said:

“The Government’s policies barely scratch the surface of the problem. Whilst it is encouraging to see their moves against plastic bags, what about a tax on bottled mineral water, fines for excessive packaging and a tax on second homes in areas of the UK where ownership is pricing local people out of the housing market? The Government must invest more in green technologies. The Victorians spent three times this country’s GDP on investment in the railways; we spend nothing like that on what should be a new green industrial revolution.”

David Brown, CEO of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), said:

“Simply taxing motorists is the wrong way to combat carbon emissions and the deferral in the fuel duty rise is welcomed. The Chancellor gave some positive signals about bringing new technology to the market, chemical engineers look forward to improved funding for R&D into new vehicle technologies and fuels, such as hydrogen and second-generation biofuels that don’t displace food crops, but we believe that additional measures may be needed to stimulate demand for innovative products and services.”

Tom Foulkes, Director General, Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), said:

“”On housing: We welcome the Chancellor’s announcement that more Government land will be made available to build 70,000 new affordable housing units.

“We urge the Government to ensure that these communities are sustainable and that the requisite infrastructure planning is in place prior to project initiation.

“The ICE urges the Government to ensure that where these new housing developments are located on flood plains reasonable steps are taken to ensure that flood mitigation measures are in place.

“On road pricing: We welcome the announcement of road pricing and the development and testing of the technology for road pricing programmes. We already have the facts behind road pricing technology and we are currently producing a report on the financial aspects of road pricing. We will be making sure these findings are available to Government.

“ICE has been working with its partners to ensure that road pricing technology is robust – we will share our findings with Government.”

Andrew Furlong, Director of Policy at the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), said:

“The announcement of a £30 million Enthuse Science fund is an excellent start but it should be borne in mind that this only equates to around £10,000 per secondary school. Whilst this extra funding will serve as a real boost for passionate science teachers, there simply aren’t enough of them and chemical engineers are calling for premium salaries for science and maths teachers, and a major award scheme to reward the very best.”