Anneliese welcomes University wind farm study

Anneliese Dodds, Labour parliamentary spokesperson for Reading East, has warmly welcomed a joint study by the University of Reading and Partnerships for Renewables (a Carbon Trust enterprise) to develop a wind energy project on University land south of the M4.

Ed Miliband, Labour's new Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, has committed the Government to a statutory target for 2050 of cutting our greenhouse gas emissions by 80% from 1990 levels, the toughest target adopted by any country.

Anneliese says: "It will be a hard target to meet, but meet it we must if we are to halt and put into reverse the devastation that climate change is already bringing to our world. We see now the Arctic ice-cap is melting faster than we expected, extreme floods are a commonplace, and small islands are threatened with sinking under the oceans. It is time to act".

"The wind turbine at Junction 11 was an important start"; she goes on, "but we need many more turbines if we are to make a real difference. Of course, any new wind farm project needs proper evaluation and planning, but I am delighted that the University of Reading is taking this initiative and very much hope the scheme comes off. I hope it prompts the Borough Council and other major landowners to see if they too can accommodate wind turbines on their land safely and economically and I will take every opportunity I can to press them to do so".