UK’s plans to build new power plants fuelled by coal have seen it branded as a climate criminal by developing countries.

The World Development Movement has written a letter on behalf of more than 40 countries to Ed Miliband, UK’s energy and climate change secretary, to criticise the plans for plants without equipment for carbon capture and storage (CCS).

The letter blames rich countries for causing global warming and the “increased floods, droughts, sea-levels and disease” that endanger so many of the world’s population. It goes on to say: “Coal power is the most climate-polluting way to generate electricity. New coal power stations in the UK will exacerbate the impacts of climate change on impoverished communities in the south… A decision to support new coal power stations will confirm the UK as a climate criminal in the international climate-change negotiations.” It also goes on to condemn the idea to offset the emissions from the power stations by investing in clean technology in the developing world – something the letter claims “continuously had negative impacts on communities in the global south while failing to cut emissions”.

The first of the plants to be built is planned for Kingsnorth in Kent, but the government says they are yet to make a final decision on the proposal. Kingsnorth was the site of a week-long camp for protestors in August 2008 as the plans have come up against opposition regularly.

In a statement from the Department of Energy and Climate Change however, said: “We are determined to do all we can to cut CO2 in our atmosphere.”

“A decision on Kingsnorth has not been taken yet, and is not expected until the government finalises its policy on carbon capture readiness.”

A zero-carbon house based on medieval architecture has been unveiled in Kent as a possible blueprint for future housing.

Currently around a quarter of all carbon emissions in the UK come from households and the government has set a target for all new homes to be zero-carbon by 2016. There are only a handful of homes that are zero-carbon at the moment but many designs are too expensive to consider for mass production.

The house – named Crossway – uses many techniques from the olden days to make it as green as possible. With less access to fuel and fewer ways to keep themselves warm, our ancestors were keen to make sure they stayed as cosy as possible. Timbrel vaulting – or its predecessor Catalan vaulting – dates back to 1382 and Crossways also makes use of the age-old technique of covering the roof with dirt and earth. The structure does away with the need for materials such as reinforced concrete and instead recycled newspaper help is used to give the house extra insulation.

Dr Michael Ramage who helped design the house said: “The vaulting gives the house plenty of structural strength but obviates the need for embodied-energy intensive materials such as reinforced concrete.

“It also provides it with great thermal mass, enabling the building to retain heat, absorb fluctuations in temperature and reducing the need for central heating or cooling systems.”

The design is winning plaudits among the eco-friendly although some architects aren’t completely won over by the design.