In reaction to the Government’s announcement regarding fitting Carbon Capture technology to coal-fired power stations, Ashok Sinha, Director of the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition said:

Today's announcement that no new coal power stations can be built in the UK without technology to capture and store the carbon they emit (CCS) is an important step forward. We recognise the leadership Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Ed Miliband has shown through this announcement.

The danger, however, is that this new CCS demonstration scheme, if it fails, will leave a legacy of carbon-intensive coal-fired power stations, critically undermining the UK's chances of meeting its climate change obligations. Mr Miliband must ensure that coal-fired power stations are phased out unless they can successfully capture their emissions.

He must also ensure that the announcement on CCS does not detract from the massive effort needed to maximise energy efficiency and renewable energy, the most important way to both decarbonise the energy sector and creating a wealth of new, green, jobs.

On Tuesday representatives of the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition delivered over 85, 000 messages to Ed Miliband to reflect the breadth of support across the UK to boost our renewable energy supply and end our reliance on dirty coal power.

In a letter to the Secretary of State this week, the coalition told Ed Miliband that coal power stations that cannot capture and safely store their carbon emissions must be banned. The organisations also argue that by transforming Britain into a low-carbon economy, with massive investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency, the Government can tackle climate change and create thousands of new jobs at a time of economic hardship.

11 million strong, the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition is the committed supporters, campaigners, hearts, minds and voices of over 100 organisations.