The UK Political Parties Response to Climate Crisis 2024

With the UK General Election now just in few days, Climate Crisis is at the forefront of many voters' minds.

The main political parties have presented their strategies and commitments to solve the pressing issues of Net Zero, climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss despite offering different deadline, strategies and financial commitments. Their manifestos reflect a broad consensus on the importance of addressing climate change, yet they also highlight the different paths parties propose to finance and achieve the net-zero transition.

The key strategies and commitments offered by the Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democratic, Green and Reform Parties for the 2024 election are compared in this article.

Reviewing the Conservative Party manifesto, it did not offer concrete plans for the upcoming years, instead the Party was keen on highlighting their accomplishments during the last 14 years compared against the preceding Labour Party accomplishment, probably because they are the main competitors to lead the government comparing to other political parties like Liberal Democratic, Reform and Green.

A pragmatic approach, as described by Conservative Party, is emphasised in the Conservative Party manifesto to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. They suggest a combination of net zero strategies, tougher laws governing polluting companies and investing opportunities. Key initiatives include:

• Scale up nuclear power as a cornerstone of long-term Net Zero and reliable energy strategy to help the UK to become a net exporter of electricity by 2050.
• Building Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) cluster (two)
• Support the growth and decarbonisation of aviation sector and introduce new import carbon pricing mechanism by 2027.
• Invest £6 billion in energy efficiency over the next three years, reduce green levies on household bills and fund an energy efficiency voucher scheme.
• legislate to ensure annual licensing rounds for oil and gas production and maintain incentives to invest in North Sea.
• Reforming the Climate Change Committee.
• Maintain Environment Act including ambitious targets to halt nature’s decline by 2030 and Biodiversity Net Gain.
• Invest £1.1 billion into the Green Industries Growth Accelerator
• Improve existing National Parks and protected landscapes, using fines from water companies
• Invest in river restoration projects.
• Prevent new waste incinerators being built.
• Introduce a Flood Recovery Framework and Farming Recovery Fund

Albeit Conservative Party's objectives are comprehensive but are not robust nor immediate which increase the potential of being changed similar to their previous decisions i.e changing the deadline for electric vehicles and their decision to limit the Bank of England giving due consideration to climate change.

The Labour Party have set aggressive goals to achieve clean power by 2030 by proposing a comprehensive plan that places a major focus on rapid and radical transformation. The Party Manifesto showed criticism to Conservative Party performance and have committed to ensure institutional framework for policy making reflects commitments to reach net zero meet The UK carbon budgets. Highlights of Labour Party manifesto are:

• A new Energy Independence Act and new publicly owned company, Great British Energy
• Ensure the long-term security of nuclear power sector and extend the lifetime of existing plants.
• Double onshore wind, triple solar power, and quadruple offshore wind by 2030
• Invest in carbon capture and storage, hydrogen and marine energy, and ensure long-term energy storage.
• Carbon border adjustment mechanism
• Warm Homes Plan to upgrade energy efficiency of 5 million homes and Homes in the private rented sector to meet minimum energy efficiency standards by 2030.
• No new licences for gas power stations but will maintain a strategic reserve to guarantee security of supply with a phased and responsible transition. No new coal licences and ban fracking for good.
• New Energy Independence Act to establish the energy and climate policies framework.
• Make the UK the green finance capital of the world, mandate UK-regulated financial institutions and invest in green energy technologies. FTSE 100 companies will develop and implement credible transition plans that align with the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement
• Expand nature-rich habitats, create nine new National River Walks, establish three new National Forests, planting millions of trees and creating new woodlands.
• Water companies will be forced to clean up rivers. 

Labour's plans are criticised for their possible economic impact due to questions regarding the feasibility and rapid transformations cost albeit Labours has ruled out raising taxes which looks like that they will be cautious with additional expenditures anticipated to solve other stressing issues like NHS waiting time.

The Liberal Democrats offer a fair deal to deal on the environment, as quoted from Party`s manifesto. The Party suggest a well-rounded strategy that combines market incentives with regulatory actions to achieve net zero by 2045 and tackle the nature crisis. Liberal Democrats Key plans are:

• Remove restrictions on new solar and wind power and supporting investment and innovation in tidal and wave power.
• Building more electricity interconnectors between the UK and other countries to guarantee security of supply and build a sustainable supply chain for renewable energy technology.
• Accelerate the deployment of renewable power and deliver energy security.
• Empower local authorities to develop local renewable electricity generation and storage strategies.
• support carbon capture and storage and new low-carbon processes for cement and steel production
• Implementing the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism
• Restore electric vehicles target of 2030, invest in active travel and public transport, electrify railways, and reducing the climate impact of flying.
• Launch an emergency Home Energy Upgrade programme, with free insulation and heat pumps for low-income households and provide incentives for installing heat pumps that cover the real costs.
• Reintroduce requirements for landlords to upgrade the energy efficiency of their properties to EPC C or above by 2028.
• Introduce a new subsidised Energy-Saving Homes scheme.
• Implement the UK’s G7 pledge to end fossil fuel subsidies, maintaining the ban on fracking and introducing a ban on new coal mines.
• All new homes and non-domestic buildings to be built to a zero-carbon standard with immediate action.
• Pass a new Environmental Rights Act
• Regulate financial services to encourage climate-friendly investments and investing in energy storage.
• Introduce a Sewage Tax on water company profits and setting legally binding targets.
• Introduce a ‘blue corridor’ programme for rivers, streams and lakes.
• Protect at least 30% of land and sea areas by 2030 for nature’s recovery.
• Introduce nature-related financial disclosure requirements for large businesses.
• Ensure up to a 100% biodiversity net gain for new developments.

Although some opponents view the Liberal Democrats' policies as realistic, others contend they lack the urgency and scale required to properly address the climate catastrophe.

Unsurprisingly, the Green Party has the most radical net zero and climate change agenda, in terms of strategies and spending commitment, compared to other parties, with a pledge to achieve net zero target by 2040. Green Party proposed the below key points:

• Phase-out of nuclear energy, 70% of the UK’s electricity by 2030 to be delivered by wind, delivery of 80GW of offshore wind, 53 GW of onshore wind, and 100 GW of solar by 2035.
• Ban short domestic flights and halt to the expansion of new airport capacity. Increase annual public subsidies for rail and bus travel to £10bn, invest in an additional £19bn over five years to improve public transport and support electrification.
• Investment of £2.5bn a year in new cycleways and footpaths.
• Introduce a local-authority-led, street-by-street or area-based retrofit programme to insulate homes, provide non-fossil-fuel heat and adapt buildings to more extreme weather. Over the next five years, the Party will invest £29bn to insulate homes to an EPC B standard or above, £4bn to insulate other buildings, £9bn for low-carbon heating systems (e.g. heat pumps) for homes and other buildings
• All new homes meet Passivhaus or equivalent standards.
• Introduce a carbon tax to drive fossil fuels out of our economy and raise money to invest in the green transition, cancel recent fossil fuel licences and remove all oil and gas subsidies.
• All planning applications will be required to include whole-life carbon and energy calculations, covering construction, maintenance and operational use.
• A £40bn investment per year in the shift to a green economy, £12.4bn to investment in skills and training, equipping workers to play a full role in the green economy. £2bn per year in grant funding for local authorities to help businesses decarbonise.
• Protect 30% of land and seas by 2030.
• Introduce a new Commission on Animal Protection.
• Triple financial support for farmers to support transition to nature-friendly farming.
• Biodiversity and soil health to be conserved and improved, leading to cleaner rivers.

Green Party Climate and Nature agenda can be criticised for being excessively ambitious and might be unachievable adding economical limitations.

Reform Party Manifesto have accused Net Zero approach and target by crippling the economy, damaging British industries like steel and increasing energy insecurity. Environment protection can be achieved, as declared by Reform Party, by planting more trees, recycling and reduce single use of plastic. Reform Party will help, but not impoverish British economy in pursuit of unaffordable, unachievable global CO2 targets.

Reform Party will:

• Scrap Net Zero and Related Subsidies which they say would save £30bn over 25 years.
• Scrap Annual £10 Billion of Renewable Energy Subsidies
• Fast-track planning and tax incentives for development of brownfield sites.
• Fast-track clean nuclear energy.
• Fast-track licenses for gas and oil in the North Sea.

Conclusion

The main political parties in the UK, except Reform Party, have made it clear in their manifestos for the 2024 election how important climate and nature are. The Conservative Party proposes a cautious approach to achieve net zero on 2050 through scaling up nuclear power and building Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) clusters, while Labour Party offers rapid and radical transformation to achieve clean power by 2030, which been criticised for their possible economic impact, by extending the lifetime of existing nuclear power plants and investing in wind and solar power , Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), hydrogen and marine energy. Liberal Democrats place a strong emphasis on reasonable solutions combines market incentives with regulatory actions to achieve net zero on 2045 by supporting solar and wind power, investing in tidal and wave power and ensuring sustainable supply chain for renewable energy technology from other countries in addition to investing in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), while Green Party, unsurprisingly, calls for a significant action to response to climate change crisis by phasing-out of nuclear energy, in opposition to other political parties approach, and investing on wind and solar power to achieve net zero by 2040.

The Conservative Party and Reform parties will support oil and gas production and ensure annual licensing while other parties will phase out oil and gas production offering different deadlines.

Political parties have addressed Environment and Biodiversity in different ways and levels of commitment. Liberal Democrats and Green Party advocate for aggressive policies to protect and enhance environment and biodiversity comparing to rest parties. Both parties committed to protecting at least 30% of land and sea and achieve biodiversity net gain,100% net gain for large developments committed by Liberal Democrats. The Conservative Party will maintain and achieve Environment Act targets and improve existing National Parks and protected landscapes, by imposing fines on water companies while Labour Party will expand nature-rich habitats and will force water companies to clean up rivers and Reform party will fast-track planning and tax incentives for development of brownfield sites.

The main political parties are keen on investing in green technologies. Green Party is the highest investing party by £40bn investment per year comparing to £1.1 billion investment by the Conservative Party into Green Industries Growth Accelerator. Labours Party committed to spend £1 bn to accelerate the deployment of carbon capture and £500 million to support the manufacturing of green hydrogen while Liberal Democrats didn’t commit to a certain spending target in investing in green technologies and Reform Party will scarp Subsidies.

In conclusion, the manifestos for 2024 show a growing emphasis on Climate and Nature issues throughout the political spectrum, even though precise spending estimates for Climate and Nature are not easily accessible/accurate. The success of the parties in the elections and their capacity to carry out their agenda promises will dictate the actual spending. The choices made by voters at the polls will reflect their views on the best ways to create a sustainable future.

Table:1 UK political parties 2024 Climate and Nature plan Summery