The Conservatives must "hold fast to the green agenda", shadow environment secretary Peter Ainsworth has said.
Speaking at the party's conference in Birmingham, he warned that global financial turmoil must not distract from efforts to make Britain greener.
"Don't let anyone tell you there is a choice between the economy and the environment. There isn't," he said.
He went on: "As we rebuild the global economy, we must make sure we do so as if the earth matters, as if our natural capital matters as much as the capital we put in the bank. We must make both secure.
"With our dependency on foreign oil, with food prices spiralling and jobs at risk, there is an urgent need to forge a greener economy that promises less dependency, more security, less risk, more jobs."
Ainsworth accused the government of sending out inconsistent signals on the environment.
"It's no good ministers going around the world lecturing countries like India and China about carbon emissions and than ushering in a new generation of dirty, coal-fired power stations," he said.
The Conservatives would reward people for recycling rather than punishing those who do not, he said.
He also referred to plans to allow communities to create their own green electricity, and to give incentives to employers to help their staff make their homes more energy efficient.
"These are difficult times. But we must, and will, hold fast to the green agenda," he said.
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