As LibDem leader Nick Clegg prepares to speak at the launch of a new Greenpeace report on energy-efficiency and jobs, the Green Party is pointing to the LibDems' "rather spotty record on energy, not least in Clegg's own Sheffield power-base."
This morning (Monday) Greenpeace UK will be launching its new report Energy Efficiency and Job Stimulus (1, 2) and Nick Clegg has been invited to share the panel with other speakers (3).
But the Green Party is warning against any tendency to assume this demonstrates the LibDems' green credentials - and Greens are pointing to "some classic LibDem examples of sustainable hypocrisy."
Green Party leader Dr Caroline Lucas MEP said this morning:
"The only thing sustainable about the LibDems is their degree of hypocrisy.
"In Nick Clegg's Sheffield power-base, the LibDem council has been decidedly lukewarm about energy efficiency and has opposed windfarm developments (4).
"In Devon the LibDems are opposing windfarms but supporting three new incinerators.
"In the North West they supported the doubling of Manchester airport's capacity within ten years, with a second runway. They're still supporting expansion of Liverpool airport. That's a lot of extra CO2 emissions.
"In Edinburgh the LibDems opposed congestion charging, which would have cut emissions. They have opposed windfarms in Wales, in Kent and in the Midlands.
"Recently when the Green Party was calling for Britain's rail fares to be cut to the continental European level in order to help cut transport emissions, the LibDems responded by calling instead for rail fares to be frozen - at the level of the highest fares in Europe, which would help keep transport emissions higher than they need be.
"Meanwhile in Lancashire the LibDems are supporting a proposed new road that would add 25,000 tonnes of CO2 to Lancaster's emissions inventory - which cancels out a lot of energy savings.
"And they're opposing windfarms in Cumbria. Basically, whichever direction you look in, you will find LibDems opposing Green policies.
"Greens have long marvelled at the way the Liberal Democrats manage to portray themselves as environment-friendly. It's a genuine triumph of repeated rhetoric over consistent reality."
Notes to editors:
1. To be launched Monday 30 March 2009 at 10.00, The Attlee Suite, Portcullis House, Westminster, London SW1A 2LW.
2. The Green Party recently announced that the UK could create 137,000 jobs in domestic energy efficiency. See eg Caroline Lucas's keynote speech to the Green Party spring conference.
3. The other speakers will be Richard Diment, Chief Executive, the Federation of Master Builders; Joanne Wade, Impetus Consulting Ltd (author of the new report); John Sauven, Executive Director of Greenpeace; and un-named trade union representative.
4. See today's comment piece by Cllr Jillian Creasy, Green Party, Sheffield City Council: http://www.greenparty.org.uk/mediacentre/releases/2009-03-29-clegg.html.
5. Greenpeace's new report says that a programme of energy efficiency could: