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TORY ENVIRONMENT MANIFESTO

01 Jun 2001

The Tory green manifesto is an important step forward from the main manifesto that was heavily criticised by FOE as the least It contains some good ideas and targets, including

• "We will meet all the UK's international obligations - including the OSPAR agreement to prevent pollution to the North-East Atlantic". This would meet FOE's camopaign objective to phase out all radioactive discharges to the sea by 2020.
  
•  A moratorium on the commercial planting of GM crops
  
• "No irreplacable Sites of Special Scientic Interest will be built over by the public sector".
  
• A recycling target of 50 per cent of all household waste by 2020, and a recycling service for every household.
  
•  "Conservatives will instead create a green, low tax regime that recognises environmental costs, using tax incentives to promote green behaviour and new technology."
  
• New money from the landfill tax credit scheme to fund recycling service for doorstep recycling.
• "Increased support for farmers wishing to convert to organic methods through redirecting the Rural Development Regulation seeking our share of a redistribution of the tobacco subsidies paid under CAP".
• "Conservatives favour a strengthened Freedom of Information Bill." "We will ensure the 1998 Aarhus Convention is properly implemented with as few get-out clauses as possible."
• "We will seek voluntary agreements with the industry to phase out any substances found to be hazardous, and replace them with safer substitutes. These agreements will lead to statutory controls if self regulations fails."
• A warm homes commitment,
  

However, key flaws remain. Cutting fuel tax will inevitably lead to more traffic. Although the Tories promise that cleaner fuels and engines will help pollution, they won't reduce noise congestion, or carbon dioxide emissions. The Tory Party remains in thrall to motorists.

It was surely absurd for the Tories to release this document so late. Some people have even already voted (postal votes started earlier this week). But the document leaves Labour as the only party to have utterly failed to set aside time for the environment in their morning press Conferences or major campaign speeches.

FOE Executive Director Charles Secrett said:

The Tories have now taken a step in the green direction. But why did they wait until so late in the campaign? And why are they still in hock to the motoring lobby, although there is no evidence that this has shifted any votes in their direction? This election campaign will still be remembered as one in which both major parties failed to deal in any serious way with the environmental challenges that Britain now faces."

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