Whoever wins the election will need to renew this policy area and look at fresh ways to engage the public. The parties know that major steps need to be made to cut the UK’s carbon emissions.
The strength of students feeling of this issue was strengthened when thousands of students descended on London and Glasgow in December to demand the Government take firm action on climate change.
So where do the parties stand on this issue?
Conservatives
Want 34% reduction in greenhouse gases emissions by 2020 and 80% cut by 2050; offer every household the right to have up to £6,500 worth of home insulation, with the costs being met from the savings that arise; create a "Green Investment Bank" to coordinate investment in green technology; encourage micro-generation of electricity with "feed-in" tariffs; use ‘smart grid’ and ‘smart meter’ technology to match supply and demand and enable greater take-up of renewable energy; provide government backing for a network of large-scale Marine Energy Parks; speed up the planning process for new nuclear power plants; only permit coal-fired power stations to be built with clean carbon technology; cut central government’s carbon emissions by 10% within 12 months; make provision for a national recharging network for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles; ensure all new homes are energy efficient from 2016;
Labour
34% cut in greenhouse gases emissions by 2020 and 80% cut by 2050; committed UK to participating in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS); commit £2bn for a "Green Bank" to encourage investment in renweable energy; establish a levy to raise £9.5m for investment in carbon capture technology; changed planning system to encourage a new generation of nuclear power stations; continue to increase the Renewables Obligation, a tax to force electricity suppliers to embrace renewable energy; make energy suppliers roll out "smart meters" for all homes by 2020; introduce ’pay-as-you-save’ home insulation schemes; ensure all new homes are energy efficient from 2016.
Liberal Democrats
40% reduction in greenhouse gases emissions by 2020 rising to 100% by 2050; raise fuel duty in line with economic growth; effective insulation for all homes within decade; ensure all new homes energy efficient from 2010; offer ’Green Loans’ to invest in home energy efficiency; replace air passenger duty with a per-plane tax; tax domestic flights to encourage rail use; ’smart metering’ for gas and electricity in five years; ’smart grid’ to boost use of renewables; extend the new carbon trading scheme; oppose new nuclear power plants; ensure all new coal-fired power generation plants use carbon capture technology.
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