UK Political Parties Fall Short of the Green Standard

Published in the run up to the party conference season, the report, How Green are our Parties? The Green Standard2 report, finds that none of the parties have yet implemented policy commitments and action on the scale required to meet the range and urgency of environmental threats we face.

The neglect of wildlife and the countryside is one of the report's main themes, calling for substance to back up the range of warm words coming from the main parties on green issues, confirms Dr James Cooper, Trust Head of Governement Affairs.

'We are particularly disappointed by the lack of strong policy commitments by any major party to protect and enhance the countryside and wildlife', he said. 'None have as yet committed to action on the scale needed to meet the range and urgency of the environmental threats we face'.

The assessment is based on The Green Standard, a set of six robust environmental leadership tests developed in February by the coalition, led by the Green Alliance. The report uses a 'traffic light system':
- Green to indicate support for both ambition and commitments.
- Amber to indicate a mixed picture in relation to ambition and commitments.
- Red to indicate where we are concerned by both the effect of a party's approach and a lack of positive commitments.

With no 'green lights', the gap between Conservative aspirations on the enviornment and their limited policy commitments is stark. The Labour governement, despite displaying international leadership on climate change, is failing on its renewables and emissions targets and has failed to commit to implementing ....To read more Click Here