Daily Mail - 03.03.2020

Daily Mail, Tuesday, March 3, 2020^ Page 27

Fab sales: The Beatles are still making list

Taylor beats Queen to take sales crown

Onshore wind

farms revived

MINISTERS have performed

a dramatic U-turn on the

future of onshore wind farms

and announced that they will

free up public cash to help

Britain cut greenhouse gases.

O n s h o r e w i n d t u r b i n e s w e r e

blocked from receiving public funds

in 2016 – after then Prime Minister

David Cameron vowed to get rid of

the ‘unsightly structures’.

The measure was criticised as it

made it much harder for turbines,

the cheapest form of clean energy, to

compete with other types of power.

But now the Government is under

pressure to meet a target to cut the

country’s greenhouse gas emissions

to ‘net zero’ by 2050 – so more tur-

bines will be needed. As a result, the

row Airport. Alethea Warrington, of

climate change charity Possible,

said: ‘After years of campaigning,

today we can finally celebrate the

UK’s cheapest new energy source,

onshore wind, being brought in

from the cold.’

Killing off funding for wind farms led

to a slump in new ones being built.

In 2019, 23 new onshore farms were

created, with all but one having

secured subsidy from before the

scheme was closed. This compares to

2014, when 400 onshore wind projects

came on stream.

In another turnaround, the Govern-

ment announced a moratorium in

fracking in 2019 – after Mr Cameron

had urged the UK ‘to get behind frack-

ing’. The Government will also

announce that solar power projects

can apply for subsidies.

n Air pollution cuts an average 2.9

years off the lives of people world-

wide, a study found. The report by

University Medical Centre Mainz in

Germany, in the Cardiovascular

Research journal, estimated that

toxic air causes 8.8million premature

deaths around the world each year. It

took an even higher toll than tobacco,

said to shorten lives by 2.2 years.

Chart-topper:

Taylor Swift

was 2019’s

best-selling

global artist

Show Must Go On: Queen not far behind new stars

POP princess Taylor Swift has been

named Global Recording Artist of 2019

• but Queen and The Beatles are still
  giving her a run for her money.
  The 30-year-old singer secured her number
  one slot thanks to her hugely popular sev-
  enth album Lover, released in August.
  It topped the charts in more than ten
  countries and achieved the equivalent of
  three million sales worldwide – covering
  both physical and digital formats – by the
  end of its first week of release.
  In the chart collated by the International
  Federation of the Phonographic Industry
  (IFPI), Miss Swift is closely followed by Ed
  Sheeran, Post Malone and musician-of-the-

moment Billie Eilish, but classic British

rock music still seems to be alive and well.

Queen was the fifth best-selling act of

2019, while the Beatles are at number ten,

despite splitting 50 years ago.

‘Taylor Swift is the epitome of a truly global

star,’ said IFPI chief Frances Moore. She

added: ‘The top ten showcases some of the

brightest and most talented artists from

around the world, from newer stars, such as

Billie Eilish... to legacy acts like The Beatles

and Queen.’ Other stars making the list

include Ariana Grande, Korean boy band

BTS, rapper Drake and Lady Gaga.

By Jennifer Ruby

Showbusiness News Editor

1. Taylor Swift


2. Ed Sheeran


3. Post Malone


4. Billie Eilish


5. Queen


6. Ariana Grande


7. BTS


8. Drake


9. Lady Gaga


10. The Beatles

the top 10

By Colin Fernandez

Environment Correspondent

‘Making most of

every technology’

AUSTRALIA’S Bondi Beach and

other famous sandy hotspots

could be at risk from climate

change and rising sea levels.

Scientists warn that half of the

planet’s beaches are under

‘unprecedented pressure’ and

at risk of vanishing or being

greatly reduced.

In the UK, one in four beaches

could retreat by more than

328ft (100m) by 2100 as sand is

washed away by higher seas

from melting ice caps and more

violent storms.

The European Commission’s Joint

Research Centre, which analysed

satellite images, added the loss

could be 810ft (247m) elsewhere.

The Gambia, US, Chile, Canada and

Mexico would be badly hit, said

Nature Climate Change journal.

World’s top beaches under

threat from rising sea levels

Government has said that onshore

wind and solar can take part in low-

carbon power auctions – where

energy contracts are awarded after

competitive bids.

Energy Secretary Alok Sharma said

ending the UK’s contribution to the

climate crisis ‘means making the most

of every technology available, and

that includes backing more onshore

wind and solar projects’. This will be

achieved ‘in a way that works for eve-

ryone, listening to local communities

and giving them an effective voice in

decisions that affect them’.

The U-turn comes just days after

the Government indicated it would

not appeal against a court ruling

blocking a third runway at Heath-

U-turn means they WILL get public cash

‘We’re returning the

beach ball. We couldn’t

find a beach to play on’