North East Hertfordshire MP, Sir Oliver Heald, has supported the 3 July launch of a new environmental manifesto that explores new policy ideas to address climate change and biodiversity loss. Sir Oliver is a member of the Conservative Environment Network (CEN) MPs’ caucus, and has signed the manifesto's declaration. He is a longstanding campaigner for energy efficiency, low carbon transport and improved marine protection and river quality. The Declaration acknowledges the 'gravity of the global environmental crisis and our duty to preserve and restore our planet for future generations'.
Commenting, Sir Oliver said, "Climate change is the most important issue of our time. My constituents have asked me to do more, including at the recent Mass Lobby of parliament and this is a first step in that. This document outlines new policy ideas that can help us to decarbonise while protecting our precious landscapes and wildlife.
Conservatives have a long history of environmental stewardship, as outlined in the manifesto, but we know that we must do more to meet the new challenges we face today. Conservatives hate waste and support energy efficiency and recycling. Now we have set a world-leading net zero target, we must set the policies to meet that target, and to also address the serious declines we are seeing in many of our precious species. We should also be utilising the UK's international standing, as a world leader in decarbonisation, to support other countries towards clean growth."
CEN Director Sam Richards said, “the manifesto aims to present a set of ideas that, if adopted, offer the next Conservative Prime Minister an exciting opportunity to set the UK on a new path that could unite a divided country and secure the prosperity of future generations. We have a record to be proud of, as one of the leading countries in the world in tackling climate change. But we know there is more to do, and the manifesto aims to present a space to discuss these potential future pathways in greater detail.”
Major policy ideas considered in the Manifesto include :
- Subsidy-free onshore wind and increased ambition on offshore wind
- Increased penalties for Animal Welfare Act offences
- Speedier introduction of electric vehicles and infrastructure for it
- Road pricing - a data-smart replacement for fuel duty when we shift to electric vehicles
- Introduction of E10 (10% ethanol) in standard petrol bringing lower GHG emissions
- A world leading Environment Act - legally-binding targets and a new, locally-led nature recovery network to restore the British countryside.
- Sustainable land and fisheries management - replace CAP with a system that brings public and private money into a single market-based scheme for natural capital restoration, and CFP with new, properly enforced maximum sustainable yields.
- Fracking ban - prevent stranded assets in an unpopular, uneconomic and out-of-date industry.
- Commonwealth Alliance for Nature - using friendships to achieve unique partnerships.
NOTE TO EDITORS
The CEN MPs support the manifesto's Declaration but do not necessarily endorse each of the policies included in the Manifesto, which is intended as a platform for debate.
CEN is an independent forum for conservatives who believe in conservation and decarbonisation.
Read the manifesto in full via www.cen.uk.com/manifesto
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