Archived press release

Election campaign ignores worlds biggest threat: climate change

21 April 2005

Friends of the Earth has attacked the Labour and Conservative parties for practically ignoring climate change during the general election campaign so far, despite recent acknowledgments by both Tony Blair and Michael Howard that the issue is one of the biggest threats we face. Both have previously promised leadership to tackle it. Friends of the Earth also highlighted how the Liberal Democrats own specific policy choices have recently undermined their broader commitments on climate change. Today is Earth Day and Friends of the Earth is marking it by urging the parties to do more to raise the issue of global warming [1].

Climate change will be at the top of the agenda when the UK chairs the G8 meeting in Gleneagles later this year. But it has been deliberately sidelined by the two main parties during the domestic election campaign. This is despite the fact that the UK is not on course to meet its carbon dioxide reduction targets - 20 per cent reduction in 1990 levels by 2010, and a target agreed on by Labour and the Conservatives. Urgent action will be needed in the coming months by whoever wins the election to get the UK back on track, and demonstrate international leadership on this crucial issue.

Friends of the Earth's director, Tony Juniper said:

"Labour and the Conservatives agree that climate change is one of the biggest threats we face and have promised leadership on the issue. Global warming will be at the top of the agenda during the G8 summit at Gleneagles this summer. But neither party has put any effort into raising the issue during the election. This conspiracy of silence does neither party any credit. Urgent decisions must soon be taken on transport, energy and industrial policy if the UK its carbon dioxide reduction targets. Our political parties must move the debate away from the margins to drive home the urgency of the situation."

Last September both Tony Blair and Michael Howard made key speeches on the threat of global warming. Tony Blair described climate change as "the world's greatest environmental challenge" and "so far reaching in its impact and irreversible in its destructive power, that it alters radically human existence" [2]. Mr Blair promised that along with Africa, climate change will be "our top priority" at this years G8 summit, which the UK will chair.

Michael Howard also warned last September that "Climate change is one of mankind's greatest challenges" and went on to say that "The urgency of global warming means that fine words are no longer enough.We need action…I want the Conservatives to carry on leading this debate. And we will."[2]

Labour's manifesto re-commits the party to making significant cuts in carbon dioxide levels (a 20 per cent cut in the 1990 levels of C02 by 2010; a 60 per cent cut by 2050) and Tony Blair promises to lead on the environment - one of the "world's greatest challenges" in his introduction. But there are doubts about whether the Labour party will actually deliver on this. Since coming Labour came to power in 1997, UK emissions of the main greenhouse gas carbon dioxide have risen to such a level that the Britain's target under the Kyoto protocol - the international treaty to combat climate change - is now be in jeopardy.

The Conservative manifesto gives far less prominence to the environment than the other main parties, and does little to give the impression that climate change is much of a threat at all. A separate `green manifesto' however, does contain a number of initiatives on combating climate change and builds on a very welcome speech by Tim Yeo earlier in the year.

The Liberal Democrats put the environment at the heart of its manifesto, described by Charles Kennedy as a "green thread of environmental awareness and urgency" in Liberal democrat thinking. The party has also raised environmental issues during the campaign as an electoral issue. However, there are serious concerns about the treatment of such issues when it comes to practical choices. For example the Liberal Democrats recently opposed the introduction of congestion charging in Edinburgh, the Liberal Democrat candidate for Penrith opposes the Whinash wind farm in Cumbria, while local Liberal Democrats protested last year about increasing road fuel duties.

The Green Party is more focused on environmental problems than the main parties and offers more far reaching solutions. The challenge for the Greens is to make a difference in an electoral system that renders it extremely difficult for them to win seats. If the Greens manage to get a Westminster seat environmental issues would be elevated on the political agenda.

Notes

1. www.earthday.net/default.aspx

2. 14 September 2004: Speech:
www.number-10.gov.uk/output/page6333.asp

3.13 September 2004:
www.green-alliance.org.uk/ourwork/ ¬
EnvironmentForumMichaelHoward/MichaelHowardSpeech130904/

An analysis of the parties manifestos can be seen at www.foe.co.uk/resource/media_briefing/general_election_2005_what.pdf (PDF)

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If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust