Libs:
- Aim to make the British economy carbon-neutral by 2050
- Reduce carbon emissions in UK by more than 40 per cent of 1990 levels by 2020
- Support cap-and-trade for aviation and shipping
- Promise adaptation funds for less industrialised countries on top of existing aid commitments
Cons:
- Aim to cut carbon emissions by 80 per cent by 2050
- Cut central government carbon emissions by 10 per cent in 12 months
Lab:
- Push EU towards 30 per cent cut in carbon emissions by 2020
- Provide additional climate assistance on top of commitment of 0.7 per cent of national income in overseas aid by 2013. No more than 10 per cent of existing aid will be counted towards climate finance
Greens:
- Target to reduce emissions by 65 per cent from 1990 levels by 2020 and 90 per cent by 2030
- Annual carbon emission cuts of 10 per cent
- Long-term plan to introduce carbon quotas
- Zero emissions from power generation by 2030
Libs:
- Supermarket code of practice and independent supermarket watchdog
- Extra support for hill farmers
- Introduce country of origin labelling
Cons:
- GM food labelling
- Ban on planting GM until assessed as safe for people and the environment
- Consider introducing country of origin labelling
- Set up an independent supermarket watchdog
Lab:
- Set up an independent supermarket watchdog
Greens:
- Minimum target of 10 per cent of UK food production to convert to organic every five years
- Replace the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) with support for smaller farms, organic, local food markets and measure to increase biodiversity
- Scrap Common Fisheries Policy (CFP)
- Push for GM-free zones and support ban on GM food in Europe
- Independent supermarket watchdog
- Phase out all forms of factory farming of animals
- Introduce 'buffer zones' around fields sprayed with pesticides
Libs:
- A 10 year programme of home insulation offering each home up to £10,000
- Aim for 40 per cent of UK electricity to come from non-carbon sources by 2020 and 100 per cent by 2050
- Commitment that 75 per cent of new renewable energy must come from marine and offshore sources
- Support plans for a European supergrid
- Scrap Home Information Packs
- Commit £400 million for shipyard upgrades in the north of England and Scotland to boost manufacturing of wind turbines
- Eco cash-back scheme offering £400 if you install double-glazing, replace an old boiler or install micro-generation. Plus higher feed-in-tariff rates
- Money for schools to improve energy efficiency
- No new nuclear power stations or Trident nuclear weapons system
- A tighter cap on emissions under EU Emissions Trading Scheme
Cons:
- Only support nuclear power if it is without public subsidy
- Create four carbon capture and storage (CCS) equipped coal power plants
- Establish two marine energy parks for offshore wind power
- Communities hosting renewable energy projects keep additional business rates they generate for 6 years
- All homes given up to £6,500 worth of home energy improvement measures
Lab:
- All household lofts and cavity walls to be insulated, where practical, by 2015
- Every home to have a smart meter by 2020
- Introduce 'Warm Home Standard' requiring all social and rented housing to be properly insulated
- Decide on plans for a Severn tidal barrier by early in next Parliament
- Support new generation of nuclear power stations
- Create four new coal plants with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)
- Create a Green Investment Bank
- Aim for 40 per cent of electricity to come from low-carbon sources by 2020
Greens:
- Spend up to £20 billion over next Parliament on renewable generation
- Require all major development plans and planning applications to show how they will contribute to carbon reduction targets
- Aim for half of all energy to come from renewable sources by 2020
- Oppose new nuclear power stations and phase out current ones
- Re-introduce fuel duty escalator, increasing duty in real terms by 8 per cent per year
- Ban new coal-fuelled power stations
- Waste heat tax on new power stations
- Stronger planning policies to support onshore wind and other renewables
- Nationalise the electricity network
- Introduce smart meters and support plans for a European supergrid
Natural world
Libs:
- Argue for international target of zero net deforestation by 2020.
- Law making it illegal to import or possess timber produced illegally in foreign countries
- Double woodland cover by 2050
Cons:
- Allow free vote on repealing the ban on hunting
- New Border Police force to tackle illegal wildlife trade
- Pass a law making it illegal to import or possess timber produced illegally in foreign countries
- Push for more money from EU to be allocated to less industrialised countries to halt deforestation
- Badger cull in areas of high and persistent levels of bovine tuberculosis (bTB)
- Oppose resumption of commercial whaling
Lab:
- Right to roam extension to whole English coastline
- Call for EU-wide, or if unsuccessful, UK ban on illegally logged timber
Greens:
- Ban import of real fur products
- Extend ban on hunting with dogs to other blood sports
- Ban on animal testing
- Ban on live animal exports
- Ban on production and sale of battery caged eggs
- Ban import of exotic pets
- Oppose all forms of whaling, commercial and scientific
Libs:
Cons:
- Scrap Labour plans for bin tax
- Encourage councils to pay people to recycle
Lab:
- Separated public bins for recycling
- Work towards a ban on recyclable and biodegradable materials from landfill
Greens:
- Increase landfill tax
- Spend extra £3 billion every year on recycling and waste disposal
- Aim to recycle 70 per cent of domestic waste by 2015
- Provide a free compost bin
Libs:
- Regulated rail fares to fall behind inflation by 1 per cent each year
- Replace Air Passenger Duty with a Per Plane Duty and increase rates on domestic flights
- Cancel all airport expansion plans in South East, including Heathrow
- Rural fuel discount scheme
- £140m in bus scrappage scheme to get rid of old polluting buses
Cons:
- Block plans for new runway at Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick
- Build high-speed rail link connecting London with Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds
- Introduce a 'Fair Fuel Stabiliser' that cuts fuel duty when oil prices rise and reduces it when they fall
Lab:
- High-speed rail between London, Birmingham, Manchester, Midlands, Sheffield, Leeds, Newcastle, Liverpool, Edinburgh and Glasgow
- Electrify train line from London to South Wales
- Treble cycle storage space at rail stations
- Enforceable right to the cheapest fare
- Support third runway at Heathrow but no other new runways at any other airport in next Parliament
- Rule out road pricing in next Parliament
- Ensure 100,000 electric vehicle charging points by end of next Parliament
Greens:
- Minimum 10 per cent of transport spending on securing a shift to more active travel like walking and cycling
- Re-direct £30 billion allocated to road-building over next 10 years to public transport
- Nationalise railways
- Support new high-speed rail network between north and south
- Abolish car tax and replace with a purchase tax on cars based on their emissions
- Introduce a road pricing scheme
- Road user tolls for heavy lorries
- Introduce VAT and fuel duty on aviation
- Oppose airport expansion and ban night flying
Useful links
Liberal Democrat manifesto
Conservative manifesto
Labour manifesto
Green Party manifesto
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