Election 2015: What the manifestos say on climate and energy

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This has been cross-posted from Carbonย Brief

The UK‘sย  closest election in a generationย is now three weeks away. Carbon Brief is tracking the climate and energy content of the parties’ manifestos as they areย launched.

Labour went first on Monday 13 April, followed a day later by the Conservatives and Greens. The Liberal Democrats and the UK Independence Party launched on Wednesday 15 April. Other parties followed over the followingย week.

In contrast to 2010, climate change hasย  barely featuredย on the campaign trail so far. That’s despite – or perhaps because of – theย  joint climate pledgeย from the leaders of the three largest parties. This promised to work towards a legally-binding global climate deal, to agree new UK emissions-cutting goals and to phase out unabated coal-firedย power.

Carbon Brief’s climate and energy trackerย will be updated through the week as the manifestos come in, allowing party policies to be compared side byย side.

Labour’sย Manifesto

In a speech launching Labour’s manifesto, Ed Miliband made just one mention of climate change. Heย said:

โ€œTo tackle problems from terrorism to climate change and because we are at our best when we are confident in the world, our future lies inside not outside the Europeanย Union.โ€

The Labour manifesto document, titled โ€ Britain can be betterโ€, mentions climate change 13 times, against 28 mentions of budget and 169 for work, workers or working. It reprises Labour’s previously agenda-grabbing energy bill freeze, though this policy has started to lose its shine as wholesale prices have started to fall.

On 20 April Labour launched a separate Green Planย with greater detail on its climate, energy and natural environment proposals. It calls carbon capture and storage โ€œa necessity, not anย optionโ€.

Conservatives on Climateย Change

For their part, the Conservatives have long appeared to be doing their best to avoid discussing climate change. Their manifestoย mentions climate change five times, shale gas three times and uses the word โ€œplanโ€ 121 times. In his speech launching the document, David Cameron mentioned North Sea energy but not climate orย carbon.

Polling of MPs suggests his party has a climate-skeptic underbelly and some of the its own MPs say it lacks an energy policy. Meanwhile many of its big green hitters are departing after the election, from former energy minister Greg Barker to prominent green Tim Yeo.

The Liberal Democrats meanwhile have been trying to win green votes with their Green Magna Carta, a set of five green laws mentioned on the front cover of their manifesto. Targets would include making the UK zero-carbon byย 2050.

Lib Demย ‘Opportunities’

The Liberal Democrat manifesto, titled โ€œOpportunity for Everyoneโ€, mentions climate 31 times and uses the word โ€œgreenโ€ 69 times. Its discussion of energy bills emphasises energy efficiency as the way to tackle theย problem.

The Plaid Cymru manifestoย has a relatively sparse three mentions of climate change but a strong focus on renewable energy for Wales and a plan for a Welsh Climate Change Act setting separate carbonย targets.

UKIP‘s Welsh leader was pilloried by his election opponents for claiming climate change is not man made. UKIP‘s previous energy policy documents have variously claimed the Dark Ages was a climatic period and strongly backed fracking.

The UKIP manifesto steers clear of the causes of climate change while promising to scrap the Climate Change Act, โ€œget frackingโ€ and โ€œrejuvinate the coal industryโ€. An โ€ independent economic reviewโ€ of the plans shows UKIP would abolish the Department for Energy and Climateย Change.

Cuttingย Emissions

The Scottish National Party has traditionally backed ambitious climate targets north of the border but is also keen on exploiting North Sea oil and gas. Its full manifesto has yet to be launched. Its manifestoย says the UK should adopt Scotland’s 2020 climate target for a 42% reduction against 1990ย levels.

The Green Party manifesto, titled โ€ For the Common Goodโ€, says the UK should cut emissions to 10% of 1990 levels by 2030 and promises ยฃ85 billion of public investment in renewables, energy efficiency and floodย defence.

The manifesto of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is extremely light on relevant content, with a single mention of energy and no reference to climate change, renewables or the word โ€œgreenโ€. Carbon Brief turned to the DUP‘s environment policy webpage for clues on itsย thinking.

There is already plenty of speculation around whether a Labour or Conservatives government would be better for the environment or whether an SNP/Labour coalition would be more favourable to renewables. Other commentators have attempted to find the key energy and climate dividing lines between theย parties.

The Climate Group has asked a series of questions around climate and energy to the seven parties that were part of the leaders’ TV debate. Most of the answers repeat lines from the manifestos but the answers around coalition are worth reading. The answers also show UKIP would oppose a UN climate deal inย Paris.

The BBC has a very brief summary of the parties’ environmental positions. Those with longer memories might enjoy Carbon Brief’s summary of the parties’ climate and energy policies from lastย year.

Climate and energy seem unlikely to sway this unusually close and unpredictable election. Yet from the UK‘s future energy mix to the EU‘s influence at UN climate talks, the May 7 election could have far-reaching consequences.

Photo: Alan Cleaver viaย Flickr

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