Across the 9 days leading up to polling day Dorset Eye will publish the answers to the questions set by local people for some of the local candidates standing in the 2015 General Election. Some candidates have yet to reply and should we receive their responses then they will be included in later interviews.
In the Kyoto Agreement it stated that if we hadn’t done something to save the planet by 2015 the effects would be irreversible. What do you plan on doing to help the environment?
Jane Burnet: Green Party Dorset South
The Green Party’s commitment to tackling climate change and resource depletion are very well know and I suspect this question is not directed at me! Tackling climate change has not been taken nearly seriously enough by any of the parties that have been in government since the Kyoto Agreement and to an extent that is because the voting public have not pushed it up the political agenda. See how quickly immigration has risen to the top because of vocal voters. So if this is of concern to you, and I can’t imagine it’s not, the only way to push this pressing issue to the top and to keep it there, is to vote Green. By doing so your message will be loud and clear and the big parties will have to take it seriously or continue to lose votes. At the moment their commitment to Fracking (Labour supports allowing companies to drill under our homes and abstained when they had the chance to vote to ban fracking) is absurd in the context of Kyoto.
Peter Barton: Green Party West Dorset
UK governments since Kyoto have fallen down badly in their responsibilities to tackle climate change. On the contrary, they have continued to subsidise the fossil fuel industry and have neglected the need for state investment in research and development in the renewables industry, neglecting the huge potential of this sector. The ‘green deal’ policy to provide good home insulation has been woefully inadequate. The classic example of Coalition government complacency on climate change was the appointment of the climate change denier, Owen Patterson as the Secretary of State for the Environment and the Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles has overridden over fifty applications for on shore wind energy installations approved by local authorities.
The Green Party would introduce a target of 90% reduction in UK greenhouse gas emissions above 1990 levels by 2035 and the target of a zero carbon Britain by 2050. These targets are the minimum necessary to safely avoid global warming of more than two degrees by the end of the century. We fully accept the advice of 97% of climate scientists that we must leave four-fifths of all remaining fossil fuels in the ground. This means total opposition to fracking.
We would achieve our climate targets through a massive programme of energy efficiency and home insulation, eradicating fuel poverty and creating thousands of skilled new jobs. We would establish a huge growth in renewable energy in the form of onshore and off shore wind, solar, wave and tidal power. We would close down all nuclear power stations as there is no long-term guarantee of the safe storage of nuclear waste and new power stations take too long to build and take vital funding away from cheaper, safer renewables. We would require local authorities to have ambitious targets for renewable energy generation in their development plans. We would support and encourage community and co-operative ownership of local renewable energy generation, breaking the power of the ‘big six’ energy companies.
Further policies to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions include better, publicly-owned public transport, better facilities for cycling and walking, reintroduction of the fuel duty escalator and a new tax on aviation fuel and VAT on aviation.
Oliver Letwin: The Conservative Party West Dorset
We are committed to creating a low carbon economy here in Britain, and to working with the global community to create a low carbon world economy. We have trebled the amount of electricity generated from renewable energy sources in the UK, to 19%. We are already the world’s largest market for offshore wind energy. We are also bringing energy saving measures to over 1 million homes and committing £1 billion to carbon capture and storage. On the international stage we will continue to press for increased effort to address climate change.
Simon Hoare: Conservative Party North Dorset
We will continue to promote cleaner industry and transport methods. I’m very keen to see all new development minimising energy needs for heating etc.
Rachel Rogers, Labour Party West Dorset
Locally I have pledged that I will, in general, support sustainable energy initiatives provided these don’t interfere with our food security.
A Labour government will work to achieve agreement on climate change at the UNFCCC conference in Paris and will make the case for ambitious emissions targets for all countries. The Labour manifesto sets out a target date of 2030 to take the carbon out of our electricity supply but recognises that we need to plan effectively for the effects of a changing climate by, for example, prioritising flood prevention and working across departments to improve long-term food security.
A Labour government will protect animal welfare by ending the badger cull, maintaining hunting ban, tackling the wildlife crime associated with shooting and introducing a ban on wild animals in circuses.
Simon Bowkett: Labour Party Dorset South
Safeguarding our environment and tackling climate change are among the greatest challenges facing Britain and the world as a whole. It’s not enough to simply mitigate the threat of climate change. We must adapt to its damaging effects, which are already impacting on us today.
This government came to office saying it would be the “greenest government ever” – yet within months had cut the feed-in tariff for solar energy, and withdrew subsidies for developing renewable technologies.
Labour has a better plan for our natural world.
We will safeguard our natural environment for the long term by committing to ambitious, legally-binding targets for carbon reduction at home, and will push for global targets abroad that rise every five years, moving us towards zero net global emissions.
We will produce an ambitious adaptation programme, and the new Infrastructure Commission will prioritise investment in flood prevention and the development of renewable technologies – offering the long-term policy stability needed to attract investment.
We will build on our strong record on animal welfare, starting with an end to this Government’s ineffective and cruel badger cull. We will improve the protection of dogs and cats, ban wild animals in circuses, defend our hunting ban and deal with wildlife crime associated with illegal shooting.
We will put climate change at the centre of our foreign policy.
We will push for an ambitious agreement on climate change at the UNFCCC conference in Paris in December.
Ros Kayes: Liberal Democrats West Dorset
The Lib Dems are committed to introducing five green laws, to put fighting climate change at the centre of the next Government’s agenda, detailed below:
Zero Carbon Bill
- A new legally binding target for Zero Carbon Britain by 2050
- A new legally binding decarbonisation target for the power sector by 2030 to support investment in all forms of low carbon electricity
- Establishing an Office for Accelerated Low Carbon Innovation to fast-track new green tech including tidal power, renewable heat, ultra-low emission vehicles, energy storage and CCS
- Applying Emissions Performance Standards (EPS) to existing coal plants from 2025 to end use of unabated coal generation
- Full borrowing powers to the Green Investment Bank, to further boost investment in low carbon technology
Zero Waste Bill
A “Responsibility Deal” between government and business to ensure packaging for consumer products are designed for recycling rather than designed for dumping
- Commission a Stern type review to undertake a UK-wide review on how Britain’s waste can be used as a resource to generate revenue for the economy and the possibility of legally binding targets on waste
Green Homes Bill
- Reforming the Green Deal ‘pay as you save’ scheme into a new ‘Green Homes Loan Scheme’ which would extend the current scheme to include renewable heat and electricity
- incentivising people to insulate their Offering at least £100 each year off your Council Tax for 10 years, when you significantly upgrade the energy efficiency of your home
- A new ‘Feed out Tariff’ for investment in Solid Wall Insulation, the most expensive and disruptive type of energy efficiency measure
Nature Bill
Legal targets for biodiversity, clean air, clean water and access to green space set up through a Natural Capital Committee, extending the Right to Roam and establishing new marine and coastal reserves.
Bring forward a package to protect bees and pollinators and help them recover
Design and adopt a National Food Strategy and encourage local councils to adopt a food plan in order to foster the growth of local food economies, from field to fork.
Green Transport Bill
- Fast track support for the growing electric vehicle market, starting with implementing a full network of charging points for electric cars, and a target of 2040
- Ten year rolling capital investment in rail and public transport
- A new generation of light rail
- restoration of twin track on all railway lines
- Make progress towards implementing the recommendations of the ‘Get Britain Cycling’ report
- We will update planning law to ensure new infrastructure developments are designed around walking, cycling and public transport
We will make the case for ambitious emissions targets for all countries, strengthened every five years on the basis of a scientific assessment of the progress towards the 2C goal. And we will push for a goal of net zero global emissions in the second half of this century, for transparent and universal rules for measuring, verifying and reporting emissions, and for an equitable deal in which richer countries provide support to poorer nations in combating climate change.
Vikki Slade: Liberal Democrats Mid Dorset and North Poole
The Liberal Democrats have 5 green laws in our manifesto. We are committed to moving across to renewable energy as quickly as possible and to investing in electric vehicles to reduce emissions. We have already introduced a charge for plastic bags which, while seemingly a small thing, will have a huge impact on people’s behaviour as well as improving life for our sea creatures and creating a budget for local environmental projects. We have pledged to plant a tree for every child born in this Parliament and the new homes that we plan to build will be the most sustainable ever.
Thank you to all those who responded and to all those who set the questions.
