Caroline Lucas, Green Party leader, in responding to the Conservatives proposals on the environment, said:
"The Tories have made encouraging and welcome moves on export credit guarantees, committing to 10:10, to the creation of a green investment bank, and far more transparent energy consumption in government."
"However, every week, I see Tory MEPs voting to dilute environmental targets and delay timetables. Across the country, we have Tory local councillors obstructing planning applications for renewable energy. David Cameron really needs to focus not just on getting his policies right, but on changing the practice of thousands of elected Tories all around the country."
"Their proposals do not mention aviation, despite Boris Johnson's proposals for a new Thames Estuary airport. Aviation is Britain's fastest growing source of emissions, already amounting to at least 13% of our country's climate impact." (1)
"On recycling vouchers, we need to pursue the idea of zero waste - designing waste out of the system, and only recycling what we can't avoid or reuse."
"The Conservatives clear commitment to 'clean coal' and new nuclear will also work against our environmental goals."
"Nuclear power provides less than 4% of UK energy - which is far less than could be saved by energy-efficiency measures that would cut people's fuel bills. New nuclear stations also will not help the fight against climate change. Major CO2 reductions are needed in the next ten years. New nuclear power stations could not be built fast enough."
"Carbon capture projects won't start delivering either emissions reductions or jobs for the next decade. Existing renewables technologies and energy-conservation programmes could do both, and that's where the government should be putting its effort. Investment in wind energy instead of "clean coal" could generate four times as many jobs, ten years sooner."
"Greens are in favour of a nationwide energy-conservation programme to generate almost three times as many jobs as "clean coal" - while reducing energy demand to such a level that new coal-fired power stations would not be necessary."
Notes to Editors
1) http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmhansrd/cm070502/text/70502w0005.htm