Election 2015: What the manifestos say on climate and energy

The UK’sclosest election in a generationis now three weeks away.Carbon Brief is tracking the climate and energy content of the parties’ manifestos as they are launched.

Labour went first on Monday 13 April, followed a day later by the Conservatives and Greens. The Liberal Democrats and the UK Independence Party launched on Wednesday 15 April. Other parties followed over the following week.

In contrast to 2010, climate change hasbarely featuredon the campaign trail so far. That’s despite – or perhaps because of – thejoint climate pledgefrom the leaders of the three largest parties. This promised to work towards a legally-binding global climate deal, to agree new UK emissions-cutting goals and to phase out unabated coal-fired power.

Carbon Brief’s climate and energy trackerwill be updated through the week as the manifestos come in, allowing party policies to be compared side by side.

Carbon Brief’s climate and energy election grid includes key extracts from the 2015 election manifestos along with commentary and links to further information. Clickthis linkfor the full interactive version.

In aspeech launching Labour’s manifesto, Ed Miliband made just one mention of climate change. He said:

“To tackle problems from terrorism to climate change and because we are at our best when we are confident in the world, our future lies inside not outside the European Union.”

The Labour manifesto document, titled ”Britain can be better“, mentions climate change 13 times, against 28 mentions of budget and 169 for work, workers or working. It reprises Labour’s previously agenda-grabbingenergy bill freeze, though this policy has started to lose its shine aswholesale prices have started to fall．

On 20 April Labour launched a separateGreen Planwith greater detail on its climate, energy and natural environment proposals. It calls carbon capture and storage “a necessity, not an option”.

For their part, the Conservatives have long appeared to be doing their best toavoid discussing climate change．他们的manifestomentions climate change five times, shale gas three times and uses the word “plan” 121 times. In hisspeech launching the document, David Cameron mentioned North Sea energy but not climate or carbon.

Polling of MPs suggests his party has aclimate-skeptic underbellyand some of the its own MPs say itlacks an energy policy．Meanwhile many of itsbig green hitters are departingafter the election, fromformer energy minister Greg Barkerto prominent greenTim Yeo．

The Liberal Democrats meanwhile have been trying to win green votes with theirGreen Magna Carta, a set of five green laws mentioned on the front cover of their manifesto. Targets would include making the UK zero-carbon by 2050.

TheLiberal Democrat manifesto, titled “Opportunity for Everyone”, mentions climate 31 times and uses the word “green” 69 times. Its discussion of energy bills emphasises energy efficiency as the way to tackle the problem.

ThePlaid Cymru manifestohas a relatively sparse three mentions of climate change but a strong focus on renewable energy for Wales and a plan for a Welsh Climate Change Act setting separate carbon targets.

UKIP’s Welsh leader waspilloried by his election opponentsfor claiming climate change is not man made. UKIP’s previous energy policy documents have variously claimed theDark Ages was a climatic periodandstrongly backed fracking．

TheUKIP manifestosteers clear of the causes of climate change while promising to scrap the Climate Change Act, “get fracking” and “rejuvinate the coal industry”. An ”independent economic review” of the plans shows UKIP would abolish the Department for Energy and Climate Change.

The Scottish National Party has traditionally backedambitious climate targetsnorth of the border but is also keen onexploiting North Sea oil and gas．Its full manifesto has yet to be launched. Itsmanifestosays the UK should adopt Scotland’s 2020 climate target for a 42% reduction against 1990 levels.

The Green Party manifesto, titled ”For the Common Good“, says the UK shouldcut emissions to 10% of 1990 levels by 2030and promises £85 billion of public investment in renewables, energy efficiency and flood defence.

Themanifestoof Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is extremely light on relevant content, with a single mention of energy and no reference to climate change, renewables or the word “green”. Carbon Brief turned to theDUP’s environment policy webpagefor clues on its thinking.

There is already plenty of speculation around whether a Labour or Conservatives government would bebetter for the environmentor whether an SNP/Labour coalition would bemore favourable to renewables．Other commentators have attempted to find the keyenergy and climate dividing linesbetween the parties.

TheClimate Group has asked a series of questionsaround climate and energy to the seven parties that were part of the leaders’ TV debate. Most of the answers repeat lines from the manifestos but the answers around coalition are worth reading. The answers also show UKIP would oppose a UN climate deal in Paris.

The BBC has avery brief summaryof the parties’ environmental positions. Those with longer memories might enjoy Carbon Brief’ssummary of the parties’ climate and energy policiesfrom last year.

Climate and energy seem unlikely to sway this unusually close and unpredictable election. Yet from the UK’s future energy mix to the EU’s influence at UN climate talks, the May 7 election could havefar-reaching consequences．

Main image: A viewer watches the general election live TV debate on Apr 4, 2015 in London, UK.