• What We Stand For
  • Environment
    • Energy and Climate Change

Energy and Climate Change

Climate change is getting worse and could destroy our way of life. Our children will suffer most if we don’t act now.

Liberal Democrats believe that there is a huge opportunity to get out of this recession by going green, strengthening the economy, creating new jobs and improving the quality of people’s lives.

Many people still struggle to pay their fuel bills. Liberal Democrats believe energy companies should simplify the complicated tangle of different tariffs, requiring them to charge families less for a basic amount of energy used, to encourage responsible use. We believe there should also be a fair social tariff system for disadvantaged families, smart meters should be rolled out to all households within five years and all of Britain’s homes should be insulated to a decent standard within 10 years. We think the requirements of Building Regulations should be raised to ensure that all new homes are energy efficient and use ‘Green Loans’ to encourage people to invest in home energy efficiency and micro-renewables.

Liberal Democrats believe there should be a massive programme of investment in renewable energy sources such as wind, wave and solar. The National Grid should be transformed into a smart decentralised grid which would respond dynamically to the changing patterns of energy demand. Smart metering and guaranteed prices will unlock the potential of local and community energy generation, giving people control over the energy they use.

Investing now in the green technologies of the future delivering hundreds of thousands of new and better jobs in the years to come. A zero-carbon Britain will also be energy secure, with action at the EU level, to deliver an energy independent Europe breaking our current dependence on fossil fuels.

We prioritise achieving a global agreement providing leadership for an international framework that will enable each country to manage a transition to a low-carbon economy. We believe it is vital to help developing countries to mitigate and adapt to climate change.