Each party is offering big changes on the UK’s climate change strategy (Picture: Rex / Getty)
Issues like the cost of living have pushed climate change down the political agenda of late, with many voters concerned over the economy.
But surveys consistently find voters care strongly about the environment, with around half saying it’s one of the most important issues and nearly all agreeing it matters to some extent.
Around 4 in 10 say they’re more likely to vote for a party committed to strong action in the General Election, while 3 in 10 want it to slow down and only 2 in 10 don’t care much either way, according to recent Ipsos polling.
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All five leading UK parties are continuing to back the country’s net zero emissions target, except for climate sceptics Reform UK.
But they all have different ideas on how to how to achieve it, and what else needs to be done. Here’s an overview:
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Conservatives
Labour Party
Liberal Democrats
Green Party
Reform UK
The Conservatives’ climate pledges
Invest £1.1 billion into the UK Green Industries and Growth Accelerator
Expand renewable energy and ‘nuclear power’
Introduce new carbon pricing scheme
The Conservatives promise to ramp up renewables but have delayed climate targets while in office (Picture: Getty)
‘We are proud of our record and remain committed to delivering net-zero by 2050.’
This is how the Conservative manifesto describes its climate agenda, and here are the key policies:
Treble offshore wind capacity, build the UK’s first two carbon capture and storage clusters.
Invest £1.1 billion into the UK Green Industries and Growth Accelerator (more than doubling its funding) which supports manufacturers in becoming more energy efficient.
‘Rapidly expand nuclear power’, including a new power plant and two new fleets of reactors.
Introduce a new carbon pricing scheme to stop companies offshoring emissions by importing raw materials from companies with weak climate policies.
The Tories have overseen a significant shift toward renewable energy in the UK, although Rishi Sunak has eased a some commitments in recent months.
For example, he delayed the ban on new combustion engine vehicles from 2030 to 2035 and scrapped minimum efficiency standards for rented homes.
The Tory manifesto is pained to stress a ‘pragmatic’ approach to achieving net zero that ‘eases the burdens on working people’.
It stands apart from Labour mainly by sticking to the 2050 target, and also to continue licences for North Sea oil and gas production. The manifesto also does not mention that a new coal mine in Cumbria has been …read more
Source:: Metro
