Budget 2012 - Iceotope States Environmental Sustainability and Fiscal Responsibility can be mutually

Yesterday’s budget announcement saw George Osborne highlight the UK’s commitment to renewable energy, and announce that the Government will consider replacing the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC). However, the Chancellor failed to demonstrate the ‘clear commitment’ to the green economy that many suggested he would.

Peter Hopton, CTO of Iceotope, has made the following comments on the budget announcement, and what this will mean for the future of green IT. “Yesterday’s budget needed to address the interests of both businesses and the green community, by stimulating economic growth, and encouraging a resource efficient economy. However, instead of this, the announcement confirmed the Government’s beliefs that the needs of businesses and the environment are incompatible, highlighting that support for future innovation in the green sector comes secondary to cost benefits. Osborne’s stated the Government intends to simplify the CRC, or indeed replace the scheme with an alternative environmental tax, but he failed to state what such a proposal would accomplish in a broader sense. We desperately need systems that are both fair to operators, and internationally competitive, but also those that encourage and incentivise energy and carbon efficiency.” “In the Chancellor’s speech, there was little on future incentives for businesses to adopt green policies, or focus on their environmental impacts at all. The Government needs to recognise that green initiatives and innovation can lead to financial savings, and helping to set standards to reduce energy consumption can not only help improve environmental credentials, but can also help significantly cut costs.” datacentre.me 23 March 2012