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LIBERAL DEMOCRATS REVEAL PLANS FOR ZERO CARBON BRITAIN - OPIK

The Liberal Democrats today revealed radical proposals to transform Britain into an international leader in tackling climate change, making the country carbon neutral by 2050.

The measures, which will be debated at the party’s conference in Brighton next month, strengthen the Liberal Democrats’ position as the only major political party with specific proposals designed to face the challenge of climate change.

Proposals in the paper ‘Zero Carbon Britain - Taking a Global Lead’ include:

· Major improvements to the rail network and the construction of a high speed rail line, paid for by tolling lorries on motorways

· A commitment to 100 per cent carbon free, non-nuclear electricity by 2050.
· The use of green taxes to make the polluter pay, using the revenue to cut income tax.
· Introducing ‘green mortgages’ to enable people to make their homes more energy efficient.

Liberal Democrat Leader Menzies Campbell said:

“With these policies the Liberal Democrats have become the first major British party to map out the route to a carbon neutral Britain and the first to plan the way towards a cleaner global environment too.

“Pollution doesn’t respect national boundaries. Climate change is a global problem that requires an international solution. Britain should not be a bit player in finding that solution; we should be leading the pack.

“Under our proposals, the United Kingdom would set the green standard for others to reach.”

Earlier this year, the Centre for Alternative Technology, based in Montgomeryshire, released their own paper called Zero Carbon Britain. The paper was a major inspiration behind the Liberal Democrats proposals.

Commenting, Lembit Opik, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats and MP for Montgomeryshire, said:

“The Welsh Liberal Democrats have long argued that Wales can be a world leader in combating climate change. This ambitious objective for zero-carbon Britain would put make us the most advanced country in the world in tackling climate chaos along with Sweden, Norway and New Zealand.

“These proposals were largely inspired by the Welsh based Centre for Alternative Technology and I would like to thank them for the ground-breaking work.

“As a result, we can release these plans that are the first attempt by any British political party to tackle carbon emissions from every part of the economy: transport, energy, housing, offices and factories. The time for talk has passed; we need action.

“The Labour Government is going backwards on climate change. Gordon Brown has demoted the Cabinet committee on the environment, cut green taxes and allowed carbon emissions to rise every year since Labour came to power.

“These plans are the first and only realistic map for change.”