Prime Minister Gordon Brown has just
called the UK General Election for 6th May. All three parties claim
to have the best green policies, and it is interesting to see how
much they agree on having some kind of Green New Deal, which will
provide jobs in sunrise environmental industries as well as upgrading
Britain's energy-wasting housing stock, and renovating the ageing
National Grid.
The Conservative Party published this
on its website:
"A Conservative Government will
make developing renewable and low carbon energy sources a priority.
We will:
-
Offer every household a Green
Deal, the right to have up to £6,500 worth of home
insulation improvements, enabling households to reduce their
energy bills, with the costs being met from the much greater savings
that arise;
-
Transform electricity networks
with 'smart grid' and 'smart meter' technology that
automatically matches supply and demand, allowing a huge increase in
renewable power;
-
Create a decentralised energy
revolution by introducing a system of feed-in tariffs to
encourage micro-generation of electricity;
-
Expand offshore wind and marine power and provide
government backing for a network of large-scale Marine Energy Parks.
While ensuring Britain has adequate, safe and reliable access to
conventional fuels, we will only permit coal-fired power stations to
be built with clean carbon capture and storage technology,
restricting carbon emissions to the level achieved by a modern gas
power plant."
The Conservatives are pro-nuclear power, and also have plans for a
Green Investment Bank to finance environmental projects.
The Labour Party says:
"Labour came to power at a time when climate change was
emerging as an important political issue. Six months after we took
office, the Labour Government played a key role in securing a new
international agreement at Kyoto. This signalled the beginning of a
period in which Britain has become a world leader on tackling climate
change globally and at home. Our 2008 Climate Change Act makes the UK
the first country in the world to put its carbon targets into law –
cutting emissions by a third (34 per cent) by 2020 and 80 per cent by
2050 on 1990 levels. Our UK Low Carbon Transition Plan sets out a
comprehensive strategy for reducing emissions right across the
economy, with every government department given its own ‘carbon
budget’.
With Labour our green policies have become a motor of economic
prosperity. As firms invest in insulating people’s homes, renewable
energy and nuclear power, and in new technologies such as electric
vehicles, we will create around 400,000 new green jobs by 2015 –
making 1.2 million British jobs in the environmental and low carbon
sectors in all. The Government’s Low Carbon Industrial Strategy has
set a framework for active industrial policy, with new firms such as
wind turbine manufacturers now investing in Britain." Labour
has already unveiled its plans for a £2 Bn Green Investment Bank in
the recent budget.
The Liberal Democrats position is:
"Many people still struggle to pay their fuel bills. Liberal
Democrats will require energy companies to simplify the complicated
tangle of different tariffs, requiring them to charge families less
for a basic amount of energy used, to encourage responsible use. We
will also introduce a fair social tariff system for disadvantaged
families. We will roll out smart meters to all households within five
years and insulate all of Britain’s homes to a decent standard
within 10 years. We will immediately raise the requirements of
Building Regulations to ensure that all new homes are energy
efficient and use ‘Green Loans’ to encourage people to invest in
home energy efficiency and micro-renewables.
Both Labour and Conservatives support the construction of new
nuclear power stations. More nuclear power will soak up subsidy,
centralise energy production and hinder development of Britain’s
vast renewable resources. Nuclear has a dirty legacy and increases
global security risks. We oppose construction of further nuclear
power stations.
Liberal Democrats will drive a massive programme of investment in
renewable energy sources such as wind, wave and solar. We will also
transform the National Grid into a smart decentralised grid which
will respond dynamically to the changing patterns of energy demand.
Smart metering and guaranteed prices will unlock the potential of
local and community energy generation, giving people control over the
energy they use.
We will invest now in the green technologies of the future
delivering hundreds of thousands of new and better jobs in the years
to come. A zero-carbon Britain will also be energy secure, with
action at the EU level, to deliver an energy independent Europe
breaking our current dependence on fossil fuels."
It is difficult to choose between the parties on these critical
issues - the question is, can they deliver the benefits quickly
enough to make a difference to the triple problems of climate change,
resource depletion and energy security. This is a big task which
will affect all the citizens of Britain. It will be interesting to
see the outcome of the election, and whether these promises can be
delivered.