This election will be a critical one for climate change. According to the science, global carbon emissions need to have stopped rising within this decade if we are to limit global warming to two degrees.

However, for most of the campaign the main parties have all but ignored the environment as an election issue.

If you’re not sure which party has the best policies for tackling climate change, we hope the summary below could give you some ideas!  For further help www.voteforpolicies.org.uk  is a unique survey, based on policies alone, to help you find out who you should be voting for.

But whoever you choose please do vote!!

Here’s how the main parties stack up on green issues:

What targets have they set for the UK?

LibDems:  To make the UK carbon neutral by 2050, with up to 10% of offsets.  Reduce emissions by 40% by 2020 with no offsetting.

Greens:  65% cut in emissions by 2020, 90% by 2030. Aim to obtain 50% of energy from renewable sources by 2020 and ensure that emissions from power generation are zero by 2030.

Conservatives:  Reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050, 10% cut in central Government emissions within 12 months.

Labour:   15% renewable energy, with 40% “low carbon” electricity both by 2020, transport emissions also down by 14% by 2020. 

How do they intend to meet them?

Greens:  £45bn ‘Green Deal’ investment to create 1m green jobs.  Free home insulation programme for every home. Enlarge and develop renewable energy feed-in tariffs paying premium rates for large and small producers of renewable electricity.  Direct £20bn Government investment in renewable generation.  Reallocate current Government’s road building budget into public transport. Introduce stronger planning policies to support onshore wind, tidal, wave, solar and geothermal energy schemes. Give micro-renewables ‘permitted development’ status.

LibDems:  £3.1bn public investment to create 100,000 green jobs. Introduce an Eco-Cashback Scheme to give people £400 towards energy efficient home improvements and small energy generation projects. National home insulation programme, paid out of energy savings.  No new coal unless fitted with carbon capture (CCS). Also require CCS on industrial emissions, though support an exemption for renewable suppliers from paying for CCS.  Amend energy tariffs so you pay more, the more you use.

Conservatives:  Green Deal loan for all homes up to £6,500 to improve energy efficiency repaid for over 25 years, from energy savings.  Reform the Climate Change Levy into a carbon tax.  Develop smart grid and roll out smart meters quicker, by 2016 rather than 2020.  Increase offshore wind, introduce financial incentives for local communities to build onshore wind farms and develop two marine energy parks.  New nuclear stations and coal with carbon capture, but support an exemption for renewable energy suppliers from paying for CCS. Expand feed-in-tariffs for incentivising renewable generation up to 10MW.

Labour:   Ensure all homes have loft and cavity wall insulation by 2015. Introduce ‘Pay As You Save’ financing schemes under which home energy improvements can be paid for from the savings they generate on energy bills. Increase offshore wind by up to 40 times the current capacity. Develop new nuclear stations, and coal stations with carbon capture.  Create 400,000 green jobs by 2015. Create a £2bn Green Investment Bank to encourage investment in energy infrastructure.

What do they propose to do on the international front?

Labour:   Push the EU to move its emission reduction target for 2020 from 20% to 30%.  Work for a legally binding global agreement to limit global temperature rise to 2C.  Increase UK commitment to 34% reduction, if other countries sign a legally binding agreement.

LibDems:  Work for a legally binding global agreement to limit global temperatures to 1.7C, based on equalising emissions between developed and developing nations. Develop an electricity grid that can connect and integrate clean energy technologies particularly through the better use of sub-sea connections, leading to the development of a European Supergrid.

Conservatives:  Work towards ambitious global deal, including financial support for adaptation and mitigation by poorer countries.

Greens:  Will work on a global climate change deal. Support Europe-wide renewable energy initiatives.

What policies set them apart?

Greens:  Phase out nuclear power. Will renationalise the railways and reduce motorway speed limits to 55 mph.

LibDems:  No new nuclear power stations.  Will introduce a bus scrappage scheme to replace old buses with more efficient ones.

Conservatives:  Do not propose significant public expenditure in order to achieve policy objectives, preferring to use the power of market instead. Plan to reform Ofgem and DECC. Will incentivise electricity network operators to build a national network of electric vehicle charging points.

Labour:   Support a 3rd runway at Heathrow, keep current Climate Change Levy arrangements.  Retain plans for a central Government Infrastructure Planning Commission. Believe that renewable electricity customers should pay for CCS and that Feed-in Tariff ‘early adopters’ should not be recognised.