Stepping on the Gas

A member of the UK Government Covid-19 recovery task-force has complained that gas is being considered the sole focus of energy production for fuelling the return of a functioning economy (https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jun/13/gas-completely-dominated-discussion-about-covid-19-recovery-commission-adviser-says). It is argued that, emerging from lockdown, provides a perfect opportunity to further encourage our use of renewables (including solar, wind and wave energies). If we don't make this switch, we are in danger of rapidly returning to the illegal levels of air pollution (which we know to exacerbate the effects of Covid-19 infections as well as independently substantially increasing morbidity and mortality). It would also be a missed opportunity to limit the UK's release of the 'greenhouse gases' that drive climate change (widely perceived as our next big environmental challenge).