Green Policies: how the three parties compare (13-Sep-07)
From Lauraibm
Contents |
MI Summary
Full article: Green Policies: how the three parties compare (13-Sep-07)
Comparison of the three main UK parties' view on green issues.
Text of Article
Where do Labour, the Tories and the Lib Dems really stand on climate change? Hilary Osborne and Haroon Siddique find out
Conservatives
Emissions: The Conservatives say that they want to achieve a reduction in CO2 of at least 60% by 2050, but unlike the government they say they would have annual targets for the cuts, set and monitored by an independent climate change commission.
The party plans to replace the climate change levy with a carbon levy based on emissions rather than on how much energy a company uses, a move it says will be revenue neutral but will offer businesses more encouragement to go green.
The Conservatives also want to overhaul the European emissions trading scheme to reduce the number of permits that are issued and to auction them to business and industry. They say that the scheme should be aligned with the plan to reduce emissions by 20% by 2020.
Energy: Following last year's energy review, the Conservatives said nuclear power should be "a last resort"; they are not ruling it out entirely but say we should be looking to renewables for a secure energy supply.
Energy: Following last year's energy review, the Conservatives said nuclear power should be "a last resort"; they are not ruling it out entirely but say we should be looking to renewables for a secure energy supply.
They backed the EU target of 20% of energy sourced from renewable supplies by 2020.
Today's "quality of life" policy review group proposed a power station waste heat levy payable by large electricity generators. They would also end subsidies for onshore wind but would introduce guaranteed payments for green electricity to encourage investment in microgeneration and other environment-friendly sources.
Aviation: The Tories have proposed, although not yet adopted as policy, reforming air passenger duty to be per-flight rather than per-passenger to reflect emissions and reduce the number of empty flights, and also introducing VAT on domestic flights. The quality of life group also called for a moratorium on airport expansion.
Cars: The Conservatives have proposed higher registration tax on larger, less efficient cars and VAT relief for cleaner, smaller cars. They have a target of reducing emissions from new cars to around 100g/km by 2022. They have said that a national road-user charge is not appropriate at present but that charges should be considered for non-residential parking, which would include spaces at out-of-town supermarkets, although Mr Cameron has distanced himself from such a move.
They have also called for more emphasis on walking and cycling and increased investment in rail capacity.
Households: The quality of life group has proposed cutting stamp duty for greener homes and reducing VAT on house repairs and refurbishment. They also want people who are increasing their carbon footprint by building extensions to have to make efficiency improvements to the existing structure. The group also said that the UK government should lobby the EU for a date beyond which appliances that remain on standby or do not meet "a defined standard" could no longer be sold. The group has also called for lower council tax for green homes.
Setting an example: The party's leader David Cameron is famous for cycling to work - with a car driving behind him carrying his documents.
His plans to green up his home with a wind turbine have also been criticised as "greenwash". He does own a hybrid car though, and has been spotted wearing recycled shoes. His transport bill for the 12 months to April last year included £1,094 in car hire, £295 in air fares, £224 on the train and £210 in mileage.
Liberal Democrats
Emissions: The party's current long-term target is a 60% reduction from 1990 levels by 2050 - the same as Labour's - and the Lib Dems also share the government's target of a 20% cut in CO2 emissions by 2010.
But a proposed policy to make Britain carbon-neutral by 2050 will be discussed at the Lib Dem conference next week.
The Lib Dems back a policy of "contraction and convergence" which would set up a global framework to cap CO2 emissions at a per-person level which is the same for all countries.
The party has said it will reform the existing climate change levy into a carbon tax paid by all energy users not involved in the emissions trading scheme, with the tax remaining at the same level as the existing levy.
Energy: The party is against nuclear power. It backs binding targets for renewable energy, and believes that money should be spent on researching big tidal projects, rather than new nuclear plants.
It is committed to producing 20% of energy from renewable sources by 2020, with a target of 50% by 2050. It has said it will change planning rules to encourage local councils to develop renewable energy facilities. The Lib Dems also want to encourage combined heat and power schemes and set a target for 30% of electricity used in the public sector to come from this source by 2015.
At their conference the Lib Dems will decide whether to adopt a policy commitment to generate 30% of the UK's electricity from clean, non-carbon emitting sources by 2020 and to 100% carbon-free, non-nuclear electricity by 2050.
Aviation: The Liberal Democrats have said they want their policy on air travel to achieve a balance between "promoting this important part of our economy" and ensuring airlines take responsibility for their environmental impact.
The party is opposed to the expansion of airports in the south of England, favouring plans to maximise the capacity of existing airports. Under the Lib Dems' plans, air passengers would no longer pay duty but airlines would pay a tax for every plane taking off from a British airport, including freight planes.
This is designed to discourage operators flying half-empty planes and would, says the party, raise the same amount of money for the exchequer.
Cars: The party proposes radical changes to the vehicle excise duty paid by motorists, with the top rate of tax rising to £2,000. At the same time, vehicle excise duty [VED] would be abolished for the greenest cars. In rural areas where cars are essential, there would be a 50% discount on the duty paid on a household's main car - as long as the vehicle was not in the top VED bracket.
A proposal to require all cars to be carbon-free by 2040 will be voted on at the Lib Dem conference with interim targets for average vehicle emissions in Britain and the EU to be achieved by 2015 and 2020. The party's environment spokesman, Chris Huhne, said that that would mean "no petrol cars by 2040".
The party wants fuel duty to be indexed to GDP growth except in periods of oil price spikes.
In the long term the Lib Dems plan to scrap taxes on vehicles and petrol and replace them with a system based on location, congestion and pollution. The party backs plans to introduce road pricing and to roll out the congestion charge to other towns and cities, with the money from the latter invested in public transport, including high-speed rail. A national strategy for cycling would be set up to encourage drivers off the roads and onto their bikes.
Households: The Lib Dems are considering a policy requiring all new homes to be built to the GreenHouse standard (which means no fossil fuels are required for space heating) by 2011. They have also proposed "green mortgages", which would allow people to pay for improvements to existing homes through savings from lower energy use.
Setting an example: Sir Menzies Campbell gave up his Jaguar after becoming leader and said that he would take the tube and train to appointments, rather than going by car.
Figures released in February showed that in the 12 months to April 2006 he claimed £9,267 in air fares, £787 for rail travel and £3,395 for running a car.
A Lib Dem MP, Alistair Carmichael, was responsible for the biggest air travel bill in the Commons, racking up £34,347 worth of flights, but Mr Carmichael is MP for Orkney and Shetland.
Labour
Emissions: The draft climate change bill, published in March, set down a target to reduce CO2 emissions by 60% on 1990 levels by 2050, and an interim target of a 26%-32% reduction by 2020. There is no annual emissions target. Instead, the government has committed to setting five-year "carbon budgets" and reporting to parliament on its progress every year. Initially budgets will be set for 2008-12, 2013-17 and 2018-22, but in future they will be set 15 years in advance.
The environment secretary, David Miliband, has in the past spoken of individual carbon allowances that would effectively ration how much people fly, drive and use energy around the home, but these were not included in the bill. Plans for a UK carbon emissions trading scheme were, however, and would cover supermarkets, local authorities and other organisations not included in the EU emissions trading scheme.
Earlier this year, Labour backed EU proposals to reduce emissions by 20% by 2020 across the continent, as well as a ban on standard light bulbs. It wants them to be completely phased out from UK homes by 2011, two years after the EU intends to stop their sale.
Energy: Labour is supporting nuclear power as a greener alternative to traditional energy production. On top of this it has set a long-term target to produce 10% of the UK's electricity from renewable sources by 2010. It has also set a target to make all new homes carbon neutral by 2016, which will mean some small-scale renewable energy production.
Aviation: The pre-budget statement doubled air passenger duty to £10 on short-haul flights and £20 on long-haul flights. Labour has approved plans to build a third runway at Heathrow airport and a new runway at Stansted.
Cars: Road pricing is a key Labour policy, with plans to charge motorists according to how much and where they drive. The party is also looking into introducing the congestion charge in major towns and cities across the country.
VED was increased from £210 to £300 in Gordon Brown's last budget as chancellor in March and will rise to £400 next year, although some critics said that is still not high enough to have an impact.
The Labour party scrapped the fuel duty escalator following protests in September 2000 but after a three-year hiatus increased the tax last year. A further increase of 2p takes effect next month, a further 2p next year and 1.8p in 2009.
Households: The government has introduced £300 to £4,000 grants for pensioners to install insulation and all homes worth less than £500,000 with a zero carbon rating will be exempt from stamp duty until 2012.
Setting an example: The government now offsets the emissions of all ministerial flights. Downing Street has been converted to low-energy light bulbs and the thermostat turned down 1C. Mr Brown's transport bill for the 12 months to April 2006 included £178 for car use, £6,953 for air travel to and from his Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency, and another £478 in rail fares.
- Source: Guardian Unlimited
