Archived press release

World environment day: last chance to make this a green election

5 June 2001

DON'T IGNORE THE ENVIRONMENT
Green Groups Warn Parties on World Environment Day

Leading environment groups including the Labour Party-affiliated Socialist Environmental Resources Association (SERA) and the Green Lib Dems, today called on the Party leaders to stop ignoring environmental issues in the Election campaign. The call comes on World Environment Day (Tuesday June 5th).

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Blair and Hague impostors demonstrate their commitment to the environment outside Parliament

Images: © Jenny Bates/Friends of the Earth

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the Worldwide Fund for Nature, CPRE,SERA, Green Lib Dems and Friends of the Earth (FOE) have signed the following statement:

“Our environment is being degraded as never before - and we are all suffering as a result. Floods caused by climate change; the crisis in our farming industry; air pollution that kills 24,000 people in the UK every year; cold, draughty homes that cannot be kept warm in winter; the build up of toxic chemicals in our bodies; the gridlock and congestion on our roads - environmental policies are required to address and tackle them all.

Taken as a whole, these environmental problems cause tremendous social and economic problems. Yet solving them brings tremendous economic and social advantages: to competitiveness, efficiency, costs, public health, social inclusion,quality of life and standard of living, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs. And of course, they ensure we leave a world worth inheriting for future generations.

Despite this, we regret that these issues have not really been covered during the Election campaign. Even though almost 3.5 million people belong to environmental organisations in the UK, the arguments have remained unheard.

World Environment Day is an ideal opportunity for all three major UK political parties to debate these important issues. We all believe that policies to protect our environment, will provide benefits for jobs, for the economy, for our health and our society. The challenge to the parties is to show leadership on this agenda and make it happen.”

Commenting, FOE Executive Director Charles Secrett said:

“This has been one of the least green Election campaigns in living memory. The two big Parties have effectively colluded in a conspiracy of silence, by refusing to discuss environmental issues. Voters need to know whether chemical pollution will still threaten Britain's poorest areas, whether GM crops will be introduced unchecked into our countryside, whether nuclear power will be resurrected, whether new incinerators will be built across the country, and what Britain will do to fight dangerous climate change. The Labour and Tory refusal to debate these issues is a betrayal of the public interest.

Mr Blair promised last October to move the environment up the political agenda. Yet he has not bothered to make a single speech on green issues throughout the campaign. Mr Hague waited until the last possible moment to publish an environment policy statement, which still failed to address some of the most important green issues.

World Environment Day offers them both perhaps the last chance to show voters that they have green credentials worthy of the name.”

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust