Environment and Energy

Spokesperson: Alan Tormey (alantormey@hotmail.co.uk)


Environment

  • We support the commitment to phase out petrol and diesel cars and replace them with electric vehicles served by on-road smart-charging by 2030. 

  • Rewilding: 1.5 billion trees by 2050 and the creation of 10 new national parks. 

  • Establish Green Tech and Innovation zones across the UK – implement business incentives that foster the creation of green jobs. 

  • The Liberal Party welcomes the final agreement of the Paris Agreement: its goal is to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.

  • The Liberal Party welcomes the final agreement of COP26 namely, a target of net-zero by 2050 but notes that it failed to deliver the immediate cuts to global emissions needed to prevent global temperature change of more than 1.5C: 
    • The Liberal Party fully recognises that governments in the developed world have pressing economic and social commitments during the current Covid pandemic, but they must double their efforts to promote green technology at home and assist developing countries to do likewise. 

  • 20p ‘deposit’ on transactions involving plastic bottles that would be returned upon the return of these bottles: 
    • We envisage sites to return these bottles, being widespread, to allow for easy return. 

  • Ban fracking because of its negative impacts on climate change, the energy mix and the local environment: 
    • Maintain the Moratorium on Fracking. 

  • An emergency programme to insulate all Britain’s homes by 2030, cutting emissions and fuel bills and ending fuel poverty. 

  • Abolish the Climate Change Levy and introduce a Carbon Tax instead (£250 per metric tonne).

  • Carbon Capture and Storage. 

Energy 

  • Build a fleet of 15 SMR nuclear fission reactors across the whole of the UK. This would help not only solve the UK’s energy shortfall but also help it transition to net-zero. 

  • Nuclear/Bio/Solar/Wind/Tidal/Hydro/Geo-Thermal Energy contribution to overall UK energy to rise to 50% by 2030. The remainder of the 50% between 2030 and 2050 will also come from a combination of the aforementioned. 

  • Invite the big 6 energy firms to sell-off 20% of their customer base to stimulate competition. 

  • Impose a windfall tax of 50% on energy firms’ bumper profits to tackle the energy crisis: 
    • Backdate it to the start of the Pandemic.  

  • Ban all Russian Gas Companies from supplying gas to the UK. 

  • Abolish the Energy Price Cap. 

  • Stop guaranteeing prices for wholesale production: 
    • Decouple electricity prices from the wholesale market price of gas. 

  • Research into battery technology, hydrogen, nuclear energy, tidal, and low-energy transport will be supported by £5 billion of additional funding. 

  • Private landlords will be obliged to improve the energy efficiency standards of their rental properties and thus the cap on costs will be removed. 

  • Energy regulator Ofgem will work with National Grid, the National Infrastructure Commission and the Crown Estate to meet The Liberal Party’ net-zero target by 2050.