Who will sit in the House of Commons following the 7th May?
In a recent BBC News article, readers were treated to a summary of where each of the seven front-running political parties stands on key UK issues: immigration; taxes and the economy; the NHS; security, defence and foreign affairs; jobs; education; housing; law and order and benefits. All critical issues, of course, but I can’t help wondering how the environment managed to slip off the radar.
In the article, in the TV debates, on Question Time and throughout the election campaigns, climate change seems surprisingly sidelined. This seems problematic given the indisputable evidence that humans are causing the climate to warm and the terrifying consequences that this will bring in terms of increases in the frequency and magnitude of natural disasters, need for great sacrifices as we adapt to this change and the potential implications for all of the chosen issues addressed by that BBC article.
With just twelve days until the voting slips are in, it seems like a good time to delve into the manifestos of each party and see where the future state of our environment may soon be driven.
The full details of each party’s environmental-related policies can be seen on their websites, but here I present a condensed version of the key policies from each of the seven principal parties.
Energy
Invest in renewable technologies research
Prevent further spread of onshore wind farms, end public subsidy for wind farms and allow local people the final say on local applications
Press for a global climate deal in the UNFCCC Convention that is in line with ensuring a 2oC maximum temperature increase
Cost effective emissions reduction
Transport
Build new roads and railways that, as far as possible, minimise environmental impact
£300 million towards reduction in light pollution from new roads, more tunnelling and noise barriers
Lost habitat during the High Speed 2 construction will be restored
All cars and vans to have zero emissions by 2050, supported by a £500 million investment over the next five years
£200 million to make cycling safer
Animal Welfare
Ban wild animals from circuses
Insist an EU-wide enforcement of high welfare standards for slaughterhouses
Press for international states to ban animal testing in cosmetics and develop alternative testing procedures
While ensuring proper regulation for slaughter of livestock and poultry, religious slaughter techniques will be protected
Encourage end of international poaching of animals such as rhinos, elephants and tigers
Maintain global ban on commercial whaling and tighten regulation of international shark finning
Measures to conserve global tuna stocks
Press for ban on sale of ivory and assist India in effort to protect the Asian elephant
Ensure endangered species status for polar bears, ban trade of their skins and draw further attention to impact on wildlife and habitats in polar regions
Protect hunting, shooting and fishing
Parliament will be given the opportunity to repeal the Hunting Act
Climate Change Adaptation
Improve flood defences and capped cost of flood insurance
1,400 new flood defence schemes
Aid poorest in the adaptation to climate change
Food, Agriculture and Fishing
Twenty-five year plan to buy and sell more British food
Take science-led approach to genetically modified crops and pesticide
Continue to implement twenty-five year strategy to tackle bovine TB
Reform fishing quota to ensure sustainability and prevent discarding of edible fish
Natural Environment in the UK
Over the next five years, invest £3 billion in enhancing England’s countryside
Promote clean up of waterbodies, maintain stonewalls and hedges and protect bee populations
Ensure continued public ownership of forests and woodland
Plant 11 million trees
Provide free, comprehensive maps of all open access green space
Enforce 5p per plastic bag
Review case for higher Fixed Penalty notices for littering
Fixed penalties for small scale fly tipping
Pocket parks launched within urban areas
Protect green belt and maintain Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, National Parks, Sites of Special Scientific Interest and other environmental designations
Tackle air pollution
Natural Capital Committee to assess value of environment in economic terms
Twenty-five year plan to restore UK’s biodiversity
Blue belt for UK coasts and overseas territories
Energy
EU legal obligations to cut emissions by > 90% by 2030 from 1990 levels
Ban European sale of fuel from most polluting areas e.g. Canadian tar sands
Contest fracking and other extreme fuels
Replace EU Emissions Trading Scheme
Prevent fuel extraction that exceeds the coping capacity of the atmosphere
Invest in infrastructure required for a zero emission economy
Increase price of carbon and reduce its fluctuations
Further limit cap and carbon allowances
Back global sharing of intellectual property for technology
Oppose deep sea oil drilling and development of nuclear power stations
Source 45% of European energy from renewable by 2030 and 100% by 2050
Increase EU funding of renewable energy
Encourage low carbon cities and towns
Transport
Improve accessibility and infrastructure for walking and cycling
Prioritise investments in local transport infrastructure over airports and roads
Tighter regulation of vehicles
Animal Welfare
Enforce high standards of animal welfare
CCTV in all slaughter houses
Ban farm animal cloning and non-medical animal testing
Band on animals in circuses, travelling menageries and exhibitions
Climate Change Adaptation
Flood prevention measures across the river basin
Food, Agriculture and Fishing
Provide alternatives to soybeans and palm oils
Ban on genetically modified food
Encourage pollinator friendly agriculture
Reduction in pesticide usage
Half volume of food waste
Overfishing prevented by 2018 through the reform of the EU Common Fisheries Policy
Lead in global ocean restoration and manage EU fish stocks following scientific recommendations
Ban on deep sea trawling
Natural Environment in the UK
Restrict industrial production of toxic and hazardous wastes, to be eliminated 2020
Ban dumping on surface, seas and rivers
Promote circular waste management
Strengthen Habitats Directive
Energy
Remain committed to ambitious, legally binding targets for carbon reduction at home
Press for global targets abroad, moving us towards zero net global emissions
Push for an ambitious agreement on climate change at UNFCCC conferences in December
Push the case for ambitious emission targets for all countries
Progress towards 2oC goal
Push for net zero global emissions for the second half of this century
Transparent and universal rules for measuring verifying and reporting emissions and for equitable deal in which richer countries provide support for poorer nations in combating climate change
Create an Energy Security Board to plan and deliver the energy mix we need including renewable, nuclear, green gas, carbon capture and storage and clean coal
Establish a robust environmental and regulatory regime before extraction of onshore unconventional oil and gas
Safeguard the offshore oil and gas industry, which will include more certain tax rates and greater carbon storage
Transport
Provide more public control in public transport sector
Promote cycling
Balance the need for growth and the environmental impact as regards to airport expansion following the Davies Review
Animal Welfare
We will build on our strong record on animal welfare
Ban badger cull
Improve protection of dogs and cats
Ban wild animals in circuses
Defend hunting ban
Deal with wildlife crime associated with shooting
Climate Change Adaptation
Produce ambitious adaptation programme
New infrastructure commission will prioritise investment in flood prevention
Expand role of he Department of International Development to mitigate the risk of a changing climate and support sustainable livelihoods for the world’s poorest people
Food, Agriculture and Fishing
Create world leading food farm and fisheries sectors
Promote best of British produce and expand role of supermarkets watchdog
Protect food produces from unfair practices by major supermarkets
Natural Environment in the UK
Air pollution – more powers for local authorities
Keep forests in public ownership
Promote access to green spaces
Support work of natural capital committee to protect and improve wildlife habitats and green spaces
Energy
Renewable energy will make up over a third of our electricity by 2020
Cut council tax for green homes by at least £100 a year for ten years
Invest in research and development in cleaner energy
Force energy companies to let customers switch suppliers within twenty-four hours
Get rid of coal power within ten years
Every home properly insulated by 2035
Be as close to zero carbon as possible by 2050
Getting rid of coal power generation by 2025
250,000 low carbon jobs by 2020
Electricity Demand reduction market
Market shaping energy efficiency standards
Minimum of £100 billion more private investment in low carbon energy infrastructure by 2020
Legally binding decarbonisation for 2030 for power sectors of 50–100g of CO2 per kWh
Expansion of renewable, making up 60% electricity by 2030
Carbon capture and storage technology for all new gas stations built after 2030
Encourage onshore wind in appropriate locations
Assess role of new nuclear power stations in low carbon electricity production
Reform EU policies on use of biofuels and biogas that drive deforestation e.g. crop based
Encourage growth of anaerobic digestion to produce biogas for heat and transport and sustainable fertiliser
Transport
New incentives for local schemes that cut transport related pollution and encourage walking and cycling
Cut emissions from existing vehicles by review of MOT process
Only ultra-low emission vehicles will be permitted on UK roads for non-freight purposes by 2040
Work with industry to accelerate the commercial introduction of zero emission fuel cell electric vehicles
Steps to deliver £10 a head annual public expenditure on cycling within existing budgets
Animal Welfare
Tackle wildlife and environmental crime
Improve standards of animal welfare
Review use of cages, crates and routine preventative antibiotics
Introduce effective science led ways of controlling bovine TB
Climate Change Adaptation
Prepare a national resilience plan to help the UK economy, national infrastructure and natural resources adapt to the likely impacts of a 3–4oC degree global average temp rise
Work with local government to review the governance of flood risk and land drainage
High standards for flood resilience for buildings and infrastructure in flood risk areas
Research back to nature flood prevention schemes e.g. role of habitats
Implement programmes to help farmers and other land users adapt to climate change impacts including protection of soil and forest carbon sinks, encouraging planting in uplands and restoring flood plains
Update construction and planning standards to futureproof buildings against higher summer temperatures
Food, Agriculture and Fishing
Ensure farming support is concentrated on sustainable food production, conservation and tackling climate change
Fully implement recent reforms of the Common Fisheries Policy,
National plan for sustainable UK fisheries
Natural Environment in the UK
Place the country’s forest in a trust and plant a tree for every child born
Improve access to nature, protecting green space as National nature parks
Pass a nature law to protect nature and cut waste
New National Nature Parks
Increase recycling to 70% of household waste and minimise landfill
Clean up air and create low emission zones in towns with a pollution problem
Sustainable management of public forests
Improve UK enforcement of the EU birds and habitats directive
Protect bees, enforcing legal protection of bumblebee nests
Create network of marine protection areas with appropriate management by 2020
Encourage uptake of water metering
Task the Natural Capital committee with producing a ‘Stern report’ on resource use identifying resource being used unsustainable and recommending legally binding targets for reducing their net consumption
Regulation to promote sustainable design in which reparability, reuse, recyclability and packaging reduction are prioritised
Coherent tax and regulatory framework for landfill, incineration and waste collection
Low emissions zones in the most polluted towns and cities
Meet EU air quality standards for nitrous dioxide
Energy
Introduce Green New Deal including set up of green skills college
Research, development and manufacturing jobs for more environmentally friendly economy
Encourage Welsh businesses to use energy and natural resources efficiently
Prioritise renewable sources as part of Welsh transition to a cleaner, more sustainable and secure future
Put management of Welsh energy and resources in hands of Welsh
Introduce a Climate Change Act for Wales
Achievable greenhouse gas reduction targets for 2030 and 2050
Self-sufficiency in renewable electricity through proper harnessing of resourced
Energy policy will focus on increasing energy generation from renewable sources with particular emphasis on tidal and hydro sources such as the proposed tidal lagoons
Work to reduce energy usage
Making houses more energy efficient and assisting high use industries to reduce their energy consumption
Transfer investment from fossil fuel extraction to exploitation of sourced of renewable energy
Better advice for local communities in energy generation projections
Easier access to National Grid for renewable users
Freeze fracking and other forms of unconventional gas
Oppose opencast mining, especially when close to housing
Oppose new nuclear power plant developments in new locations
Transport
Ensure funding for urban cycle paths
Animal Welfare
Introduction of a European level animal welfare commissioner and adoption at all government levels of the new and comprehensive Animal Welfare law to end animal cruelty
Against growth of genetically modified organisms under a precautionary principle
Food, Agriculture and Fishing
Support and safeguard sustainable sea fishing and seafood production
Natural Environment in the UK
Ambitious targets for recycling, with a primary focus on reuse over recycling
Reduce non-biodegradable waste from packaging by working with supermarkets
Oppose pylons in National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Prevent spread of invasive species
Energy
Tax support for offshore wind
Ensure UK matches and support Scotland’s ambitious commitments to carbon reduction
Transmission arrangement should work to support rather than undermine production of renewable energy production in the most favourable locations]
Remove barriers that are limiting growth in the hydro sector
Additional support for pump hydro and carbon capture and storage schemes
Expansion of community heating schemes
Continue renewable heat incentive beyond 2015
Support a moratorium on fracking
Animal Welfare
Consultations on responsible dog ownership
Registration or licensing of horse establishments
Review of tail docking in working dogs
Action to end illegal ivory trade and protect species such as polar bears and bluefin tuna
Energy
The Climate Change Act is doing untold damage, therefore UKIP will repeal it
Encourage re-development of British power stations and industrial units providing onsite power generation
Development of shale gas providing safeguards are in place
Withdraw taxpayer and consumer subsidies for new wind turbines and solar photovoltaic arrays
Investigate ways to assist and rejuvenate the coal industry
UKIP will abolish green taxes and levies and withdraw from the EUs emissions trading scheme
Abolishing government departments when their essential powers and functions can be merged into other departments such as the Department for Energy and Climate Change
Transport
Scrap HS2
Exempt vehicles over twenty-five years old from Vehicle Excise Duty
Animal Welfare
Triple maximum jail sentence for animal cruelty and torture
Lifetime ban on owning and looking after animals if convicted of cruelty or torture
Regulate and challenge companies using animals for testing drugs and medical treatment as to its necessity
Ban export of live animals for slaughter
Formal non-stun training and certification for all religious slaughter men
CCTV in every abattoir
Food, Agriculture and Fishing
Protect prime agricultural land from new housing
Organic farms will be paid a 25% premium in the Single Farm Payment
Support research into GM foods
Enforce no-take zones to aid spawning and replenish fish stocks
End destructive industrial fishing practise
Reverse any EU wide drift net ban in British waters
UK Natural Environment
Bring empty homes back into use
Incentivise brownfield development
Properties build on brownfield sites will be exempt from stamp duty on first sale up to the £250,000 threshold
Match-fund grants made by local authorities towards rural capital projects such as creating a lake, wetland repairing traditional stone walls etc.