Green Ed must put the environment at the heart of Labour policies28 September 2010
The new Labour leader is well placed to build on his strong environmental credentials, says our Executive Director Andy Atkins.
Ed Miliband's election as Labour leader provides a real opportunity for the party to put the environment at the forefront of its policy making.
His stint as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change gives him the greenest track record of all the main party leaders.
In office he demonstrated a genuine understanding of the massive threats the planet faces and the need for urgent action.
His 18-month tenure saw significant progress:
CIimate Change Act - the Labour Government's key environmental breakthrough - set the world's first national legislation to cut emissions. Friends of the Earth led the campaign for it. Ed won the battle within Government to produce an Act with real teeth.
Feed-in Tariffs - Ed responded to growing pressure for feed-in tariffs, which pay homes, businesses and communities to invest in small-scale renewable electricity schemes, such as solar panels.
Pollution from coal-fired power stations - Ed insisted that no new coal-fired power stations could be built unless steps were taken to capture and store the CO2 they produce. But he stopped short of setting carbon limits for all power stations.
Heathrow's third runway - Ed opposed it, but lost the argument in Government. Labour became the only major party backing the idea.
Work cut out
As leader he should have a better chance of putting the environment at the heart of his platform.
But he will still have his work cut out to convince his party that a green agenda is the right one.
Astonishingly, at the Labour Party's Manchester conference there's not a single session on the main conference floor on climate change.
A green Labour Party would be perfectly placed to highlight gaps between Cameron's original hug-a-husky image and bad policies that his party may propose
Andy Atkins, Friends of the Earth
There's much debate about Ed Miliband's relationship with the unions. The truly progressive thing to do would be to persuade them to take on this agenda.
He should challenge the unions to back policies that deliver green jobs for people. He should encourage them to work for better quality homes and better environmental standards.
Green economy
For all the talk of whether or how fast to cut the public deficit, there has been too little vision of the future low-carbon economy, and how budget cuts will affect this. By investing in renewable power and energy efficiency we can:
- create hundreds of thousands of new jobs
- reduce our reliance on fossil fuels
- slash energy bills
- make the UK a world leader in tackling climate change.
And there are political advantages too. A green Labour Party would be perfectly placed to highlight gaps between Cameron's original hug-a-husky image and bad policies that his party may propose.
Already there are concerns that the coalition Government may try to cut green electricity payments under the feed-in tariff scheme, and that their pre-election support for a robust Renewable Heat Incentive is cooling.
A green Labour Party would win back votes from Liberal Democrats, who have long prided themselves on their environmentalism, but find themselves disillusioned with the policies coming forward from the coalition.
And if Ed, the unions, and the wider Labour movement push the message that job creation, improved housing and reduced fuel bills can flow from the shift to a low-carbon economy, it would be a message with real relevance in Labour heartlands too.
© DECC
