UK Environmental bodies have grouped together to lobby political parties for the upcoming general election.
The lobby group has created a ‘Renewables Manifeto’ with ‘key tests’ for political parties to uphold the environment as a key priority.
The consortium is made up of the Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association, the British Hydropower Association, the British Photovoltaic Association, the Renewable Energy Association, RenewableUK, Scottish Renewables and the Solar Trade Association.
The Manifesto says backing renewable energy in the UK will protect the country from “decisions of foreign governments, global markets, and climate change, putting the UK back in charge of our energy.”
The manifesto and campaign can be found at the Action for Renewables website.
The campaign aims to encourage members of the public to write to their members of parliament to support the Climate Change Act, to set a 30% renewables target and for a binding low carbon electricity target by 2030.
The coalition of bodies are also calling for a reform to the European Union’s Emissions Trading Scheme to account for all pollution costs of carbon emissions. To back the Independent Committee on Climate Change’s recommendations and to fund renewable heat incentives after 2016 and set a 10% by 2020 target for the UK’s Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation.
Leading environmentalist, Tony Juniper said the campaign calls for “consistent and strong backing for renewable energy, not only to cut carbon emissions and tackle climate change, but also to harness the opportunities for growth and jobs and reduce our reliance on dirty fossil fuel imports from insecure parts of the world.”
“I hope voters will contact Party Leaders and ask them to support our manifesto” as no renewable energy technologies “can flourish without political backing”, said Juniper.
Last week another consortium of environmental groups, including the National Trust, WWF, RSPB, Greenpeace, The Wildlife Trusts and Friends of the Earth, proposed seven priorities to be the focus of 2015 UK election manifestos, while the Liberal Democrats party released five “green laws” to be included in its 2015 manifesto.
Renewables account for 15% of the UK’s current energy mix, and could be one third by 2020, the campaign states.
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