UK General Election Climate Pledges 2024

It is the day of the General Election in the UK today. I thought it could be interesting to include a summary of each parties pledge (anonymised - some better than others!) and see which standalone climate pledge comes out on top. Let me know in the comments which option you feel makes most sense:

Option 1:

• Get to net zero - stop adding to the total amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere - by 2050 in a proportionate way
• Treble offshore wind capacity, support small modular nuclear reactors and deliver existing projects at Hinkley Point and Sizewell
• Support Britain’s North Sea energy industry with new oil and gas licences
• Continue to transition to electric vehicles by 2035
• Protect the green belt
• Work with the water regulator to hold firms that pollute rivers and seas to account and re-invest fines into a new fund to improve water quality

Option 2:

• Set up the publicly owned Great British Energy, and invest in clean energy – almost all of the country’s electricity to be UK-generated and zero carbon by 2030
• Upgrade the National Grid and reform the planning system to speed up clean energy projects
• Make sure local communities benefit directly from hosting clean energy infrastructure
• Refuse to issue licences to explore new North Sea oil and gas fields or new coal licences, while retaining existing licences, and ban fracking completely
• End sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030 and speed up the roll out of electric vehicle charging points
• Make polluting water companies clean up rivers and seas and give the regulator powers to block bonuses for company bosses

Option 3:

• Support calls for a referendum on whether to continue trying to reach net zero (when greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere stop rising)
• Transition to a green economy only as quickly as the population can afford to
• Demand proof that land held in the UK is being used for socially productive purposes
• Commit to the preservation of national parks and woodlands on the basis of full public access
• Use the tax system to encourage more local and national food production
• Encourage the farming community to conserve renewable natural resources

Option 4:

• End policies and subsidies aimed at reaching net zero – the aim to stop adding to the total amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
• Tax the renewable energy industry the full amount of the ￡10bn it receives in subsidies
• Accelerate licences for North Sea gas and oil and grant two-year licences for shale gas fracking test sites
• Fast-track nuclear energy with new small modular reactors, build combined cycle gas turbines and boost UK lithium mining for batteries
• Increase the farming budget to ￡3bn and replace subsidies for solar farms or rewilding with direct payments to keep farmland in use
• Support farmers to sell produce directly to the public and insist taxpayer-funded organisations source 75% of their food from the UK

Option 5:

• Aim to reach net zero - to stop adding to the total amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere - by 2040
• Produce 70% of the UK’s electricity from wind by 2030, generate more using solar power and invest in energy storage and more efficient electricity distribution
• Phase out nuclear power, stop new fossil fuel extraction projects, end oil and gas subsidies and introduce a carbon tax for fossil fuel imports
• Ban sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2027 and end their use on roads by 2035
• End sewage discharges into rivers and seas by taking water companies into public ownership
• Reform animal farming, stop the badger cull and extend the hunting ban to include simulated fox hunts known as trail hunts

Option 6:

• End sewage discharges into rivers and seas by transforming water companies into public benefit companies and creating a new regulator
• Invest in renewables so that 90% of UK electricity comes from renewable sources by 2030
• Take action needed to reach net zero - to stop adding to the total amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere - by 2045
• Make it cheaper and easier for drivers to switch to electric vehicles to cut emissions and air pollution
• Set binding targets to reverse the decline of our natural environment
• Increase the farming budget by ￡1bn a year to support nature-friendly farming

If you want to share a pic of your dog at the voting station, that is also very welcome here

Happy voting day!