Christian Aid said it was "dismayed" at strong indications on Monday from Secretary of State for Business John Hutton that the Government supports the building of a new generation of coal-fired power stations in Britain.
The international development agency says such a move would be a "shameful climb down" from the leading role the UK has taken in demanding worldwide cuts in carbon emissions, and "makes a mockery" of the Climate Change Bill at present going through Parliament.
Christian Aid says it is now imperative that a public inquiry is held into plans for the first of the new power stations at Kingsnorth in Kent. If given the go-ahead, it will emit in excess of seven million tonnes of CO2 each year – more than the annual emissions of 30 developing countries combined.
Andrew Pendleton, Christian Aid’s senior climate change policy analyst, said that a new generation of coal fired power plants in the UK would affect vulnerable communities far beyond Britain’s shores.
"Gordon Brown says he is committed to helping the developing world. This flies in the face of such sentiments," he said.
"Climate change caused by greenhouse gases is already having a devastating impact on the poor living in parts of the world subject to extreme weather conditions. Those with the least responsibility for causing the problem are bearing its brunt."
He said that a new generation of coal-fired power plants would push the world closer to global temperature rises of more than 2C, the threshold beyond which scientists warn that catastrophic global climate change will take hold.
"If the UK is in any way serious about its part in the global effort to tackle climate change, and truly wants to see an international agreement in two years time, then the government will not approve these plants without a full and open debate," he said.
