Strict CO2 Limits Will Send Work Abroad

Strictly enforcing a new emissions policy could cause a mass exodus of jobs and energy business from Britain. The German-owned energy company Innogy – one of the country's largest energy suppliers – is concerned that the United Kingdom will apply the EU's new carbon emissions trading scheme more stringently than other member states. The new scheme caps the amount of carbon dioxide that power stations can emit and allows them to trade emissions permits with others in the EU. Rigidly enforcing this scheme will result in "the transfer of value and jobs from the UK to the rest of the EU," Innogy's corporate head warned, adding that, "We will end up underwriting emissions inefficiency in Europe." He also warned that strictly enforcing the policy could endanger the company's investment in alternative energy, particularly a wind power farm currently in the works. – YaleGlobal