Labour's green manifesto takes fight to Tories

The Labour Party today attempted to present itself as the natural custodian of the UK's emerging low carbon economy, delivering a series of manifesto commitments designed to highlight the government's environmental achievements and underline its commitment to the green agenda.

The Party handed over a whole chapter of the 76-page manifesto to the "Green Recovery", detailing a series of commitments designed to accelerate the transition to the low carbon economy.

The manifesto attempts to draw clear dividing lines between Labour's approach to the environment and the Conservatives' green policies, arguing that Tory commitments to deliver a low carbon economy are purely cosmetic.

"For the Tories the environment has been all about image," the manifesto states. "By failing to deliver on our renewable energy targets, reversing our planning reforms and giving up on our new industrial strategy, they would put Labour's low-carbon revolution in jeopardy."

Echoing recent comments from Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband, who was in charge of developing the manifesto, the document argues that Labour's interventionist approach to government is essential to drive the development of the low carbon economy.

"Labour's environmental agenda reflects our values," the manifesto states. " Only active government can shape markets to prioritise green growth and job creation. Environmental sustainability cannot be left to individuals and businesses acting alone."

Central to the manifesto is a commitment to deliver around 40 per cent of the UK's electricity from low carbon sources by 2020, and to create 400,000 new jobs in the environmental goods and services sector by 2015.

There is also an eye-catching commitment to move the UK towards becoming " zero waste" through new legislation that would ban any biodegradable or recyclable materials from being sent to landfill.

However, the manifesto contains little in the way of fresh environmental policy, with many of the proposals having been trailed heavily by the government in recent months.

For example, the document reiterates Labour's plans to introduce a "Pay As You Save" green loan scheme designed to make it easier for people to undertake green home improvements, and pass new legislation requiring landlords to improve the energy efficiency of rented buildings.

Similarly, it underlines its plan to roll out universal smart meters by 2020, make a decision on the feasibility of plans to build tidal energy systems in the Severn Estuary early in the next parliament, deliver on EU renewable energy targets, launch a green investment bank, and work with the rest of Europe to deliver an ambitious international climate change deal.

Significantly, it also confirms that from 2013 climate assistance from the UK to developing countries will be "additional to our commitment to provide 0.7 per cent of national income in overseas aid".

Paul King, chief executive of the UK Green Building Council, welcomed the launch of the manifesto, praising the "prominence given to legislating to introduce Pay As You Save schemes under which home energy efficiency improvements can be paid for from the savings they generate on energy bills, the commitment to require landlords to properly insulate rented homes, and to give local authorities new powers to develop local energy systems including district heating".

"Labour is right to emphasise the wider benefits of a transition to a low-carbon economy in terms of fairness, security and new jobs in its manifesto, " he added. "Sustainable living needs to be easy and affordable for everyone."

However, Friends of the Earth's Executive Director Andy Atkins gave the manifesto the thumbs down, arguing that it fell short of the level of ambition required to deliver deep cuts in UK greenhouse gas emissions.

"It fails to commit the UK to cutting its emissions by at least 42 per cent by 2020, which is needed to ensure this country plays its fair part in tackling global warming," he said. "Even welcome policies such as promoting electric vehicles are undermined by gas-guzzling plans such as motorway-widening and airport expansion."