General Election 2019: How could the Liberal Democrat Party Manifesto impact the Energy Sector

Climate change and environmental issues have become a major electoral battleground following the high-profile activities of the likes of Extinction Rebellion and Greta Thunberg . All the parties have vowed to tackle the issue with the Liberal Democrats vowing to take urgent action but they’re the only ones who claim to have a ‘radical, credible and detailed plan’.

The party said, “We should be proud to be the first country to declare a climate emergency , we cannot ignore the fact that the government has done little else since then. In the meantime, it’s been young people who have consistently put the climate crisis back on the agenda with their inspirational climate strikes.”

The Liberal Democrats are hoping that their policy to get carbon down to net zero by 2045 (instead of the 2050 target set out by Boris Johnson’s government) will be a vote grabber. Whether this is a realistic target, however, is in doubt.

With official figures showing that the country is also falling behind its carbon reduction targets, it will be an even bigger challenge to hit the zero target when the Liberal Democrats hope. Most sectors of industry and business will need to dramatically ramp up their efforts to cut emissions.

The major points include –

●Prioritising and implementing an emergency programme to insulate every home in Britain by 2030.

●A promise to invest in renewable power so that 80% of UK electricity is generated from renewables by 2030.

●Ban fracking and plant 60 million trees a year.

●All UK registered companies and those on the stock exchange to set green targets.

●The creation of new powers for regulators to act if financial sector businesses fail to manage climate risks properly.

●£15 billion investment to retrofit 26 million homes with the latest insulation and energy saving technology.

●Aims to ensure that by 2030, every new car and small van sold is electric.

At a press conference held earlier in the month, the party’s deputy leader Sir Ed Davey, said that the proposals would cost in total around £100 billion to implement .

For Further Reading

General Election 2019: Where do the Conservatives stand on energy?

General Election 2019: Where do the Labour Party stand on energy?

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