Budget sells short green issues
4 Apr 2008 by Evoluted New Media
The environmentally focused budget predicted by many did not materialise and although the chancellor had much to say on green issues, action was thinner on the ground. However it was a brighter story for the future of science education.
The environmentally focused budget predicted by many did not materialise and although the chancellor had much to say on green issues, action was thinner on the ground. However it was a brighter story for the future of science education.
That is the feeling of many scientists including the Royal Society on the budget presented by the Chancellor of the Exchequer last month.
Peter Cotgreave, director of public affairs at the Royal Society said: “Those who had predicted a green budget unfortunately got it wrong. There are some measures that could help tackle climate change but they seem unlikely to result in the significant cuts to greenhouse gas emissions that are required. It is to be hoped the budget is only a small part of Government plans to genuinely tackle major problem areas such as transport and energy.”
However, the Chancellor gave some positive signals about bringing new technology to the market and his commitment to sustainable biofuels was widely welcomed.
Dr David Brown, chief executive at the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) said: “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.”
The budget did see good news for science teaching though. The importance of science education was recognised with a commitment of £10 million from the Government over the next five years to the Enthuse Science fund for continuing professional development for science teachers.
“It will hopefully lead to more specialist science teachers committing their long term future to the profession and help attract new people to an area where shortages remain chronic,” said Cotgreave.
Along with the £10 million investment from the Government, the project will receive a further £10 million from the Wellcome Trust and up to £10 million from business partners including: AstraZeneca, AstraZeneca Science Teaching Trust, BAE Systems, BP, General Electric, GlaxoSmithKline and Rolls-Royce.
John Patterson, Executive Director for Development at AstraZeneca, said: “Many of my colleagues at AstraZeneca were inspired to embark on a career in science by great teachers. We hope that the learning and development opportunities offered by project ENTHUSE will help teachers to achieve their full potential and give them confidence to meet the challenge of inspiring tomorrow’s scientists.”
