Energy and Climate Change
Quick links: Policy | Speeches and articles | Raising climate change in Parliament
Liberal Democrat policy on energy and climate change
"The Liberal Democrats have received three green lights by offering the strongest set of policies on climate change, green taxation and green living."
How green are our parties?, report by the Green Alliance
We believe that there is a huge opportunity to get out of this recession by going green, strengthening the economy, creating new jobs and improving the quality of people's lives.
- Insulate every home in the UK so that it is cheaper to keep warm and pollutes less
- Protect the parks, countryside and coastline
- Stop building nuclear power stations because they are expensive, dangerous and creates tonnes of radioactive waste
- Use Britain's natural resources of wind and wave power to become a world leader in renewable energy
- Support the rapid development of carbon capture and storage technologies to reduce fossil fuel emissions
- Work closely with our European partners to build a European energy supergrid, making our energy use more efficient and securing our future energy supplies
As a country Britain must take the green road out of the recession. Click here to view more about our energy, environment and climate change policies.
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Speeches and articles
Four energy facts
- Home energy efficiency - less than 1% of UK homes meets a decent level of energy efficiency
- Renewable energy - only 2% of UK energy comes from renewables. In Sweden this is over 30%
- Energy use - energy consumption has gone up by more than 3% since 1997 including an 11% rise in electricity consumption
- Green taxes - green taxes are down, from a high of 3.6% of GDP in 1999 to 2.7% in 2007
Raising climate change in Parliament
- Jun 21, 2011:
- [Mr Andrew Turner in the Chair] - Conflict Prevention (21 Jun 2011)
Henry Bellingham: It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Turner. I thank my right hon. Friend the Member for Bermondsey and Old Southwark (Simon Hughes) for securing this important debate on the key issue of how we prevent conflict. I also congratulate him on the work that he has done with the all-party group on conflict issues, and I congratulate colleagues who have supported its work; it is...
- May 10, 2011:
- UK and Sierra Leone (10 May 2011)
Simon Hughes: ...opportunity to catch up on matters in general and to meet much of the community, but we went specifically to look at the challenges of deforestation that face the area around Freetown and of the climate change agenda. I have become a great fan of Sierra Leone because I have seen how the country has bounced back from one of the most terrible civil wars that Africa has seen in recent times....
- Feb 10, 2011:
- Dec 20, 2010:
- Oral Answers to Questions - Education: European Council (20 Dec 2010)
Simon Hughes: ...assure us that it does not mean that the budget will be frozen, but that subsidies that are not justified and expenditure that is wasted will be replaced by, for example, expenditure on energy and climate change issues, which are both the priority of this Government and ought to be the priority of the European Union as well?
- Dec 9, 2010:
- Nov 24, 2010:
- Jun 24, 2010:
- Ways and Means: Budget Resolutions and Economic Situation - Capital Gains Tax (Rates) (24 Jun 2010)
Simon Hughes: ..., Keynes and Beveridge are indeed part of the family of progressive liberals, of whom I regard myself as a modest inheritor. The most important thing that was announced in the area of energy and climate change and environmental policy, the specific theme of today's debate, was the green investment bank. It had been a Labour party commitment, and the Conservative party and Liberal Democrats...
- Jun 22, 2010:
- [Mr Graham Brady in the Chair] - Nuclear Energy (22 Jun 2010)
John Robertson: ...look again at the decision. We need world leaders, and the Sheffield plant, with the investment, would have an opportunity second to none. I do not feel the need to rehearse the concern about climate change and emissions targets; we have expressed it many times. However, I seek assurances from the Government about their intent. It is vital that we hear at first hand what position Ministers...
- Jun 3, 2010:
- Business of the House: European Affairs (3 Jun 2010)
Julie Elliott: ...North (Catherine McKinnell), and the hon. Member for York Outer (Julian Sturdy) on their excellent contributions. However, I beg to differ with the hon. Member for Bermondsey and Old Southwark (Simon Hughes): I was not aware that the north-east had a capital city, and coming from Sunderland, the largest city in the north-east, I disagree with his comments. It is a great honour to be here...
- May 27, 2010:
- Debate on the Address: Energy and Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (27 May 2010)
Caroline Spelman: ...Member for Sevenoaks (Michael Fallon) that localism will help to relieve the pressure on education in west Kent, but I fully understand his point. The hon. Member for Bermondsey and Old Southwark (Simon Hughes) sought reassurance about the new Government's approach to biodiversity targets. We are absolutely committed to reversing the trend in the reduction in biodiversity. I give him that...
- Mar 30, 2010:
- Mar 29, 2010:
- Feb 24, 2010:
- Public Bodies (Procurement of Seafood): New Schedule 1 - Consequential amendments (24 Feb 2010)
William Cash: I have listened to the hon. Member for North Southwark and Bermondsey (Simon Hughes), but I must say that he seems not to have taken account of the genuine concerns about some of the assumptions that have been made about climate change. However, I shall not elaborate on that as there is no need to do so now. I have taken an active interest in the whole energy question, and I agree with the...
- Feb 10, 2010:
- Feb 9, 2010:
- [Mr. David Amess in the Chair] (9 Feb 2010)
Simon Hughes: I strongly associate myself with what the hon. Gentleman says. May I remind him of what the Queen said after the last Commonwealth conference about the relevance of the Commonwealth to the climate change agenda? Will he join me in making a request to Government-I have made it before and sometimes they have responded-to hold an annual debate on the Commonwealth in the main Chamber, which we...
- Conflict Prevention (9 Feb 2010)
Simon Hughes: ...assessment is that there is lesser risk of armed conflict globally than ever before? I will end with a set of issues. As someone who takes a particular interest for my party in matters of energy and climate change, I am clear that the conflicts of the future are likely to be driven by competition and struggles for resources. Threats caused by the climate crisis are likely to increase...
- Feb 8, 2010:
- Feb 5, 2010:
- Feb 3, 2010:
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