Today the Green Party
launched their political Manifesto for the European Parliament elections to be held
in two weeks’ time (https://www.greenparty.org.uk/assets/images/national-site/eu-2019/eu-manifesto-online-19-05-07.pdf)
Here are some key
ecological extracts:
The Green Party has a comprehensive plan to put some joy back into
our politics – to get us out of the Brexit mess, to stop climate
change
before it is too late and to rebuild our communities.
A vote for the Green Party in these elections is a vote to:
»» Remain in the EU, through putting the
question of Brexit back to
the people and mobilising a positive, pro-European movement to
win the People’s Vote for Remain.
»» Recharge the fight against climate
change, by electing MEPs who
know we need to act now to save our wildlife, our environment
and ultimately our
planet from catastrophe.
Calls for real action on climate are coming
from every corner of Britain and beyond.
No country can tackle this threat alone.
We’ll deliver a renewables revolution
across the continent.
There is a Climate Emergency and we
must be Carbon Neutral by 2030.
Climate change is the defining challenge
of our times. Without addressing climate
change, humanity will create momentous
havoc and render many parts of the globe
basically uninhabitable including the EU
and the United Kingdom. But the answer
to the climate crisis does exist: Our
energy generation must be from 100%
renewable sources, we must use our
energy efficiently, phase out fossil energy
and nuclear power whilst creating quality
sustainable jobs in affected regions.
We will drive the principles, process and
practice of a just transition towards a netzero-
emissions economy. An EU carbon
budget and a carbon tax are needed to
accelerate the climate transition. We must
cut emissions fast enough to prevent
a climate catastrophe and not breach
the Paris Climate Agreement of global
temperatures not exceeding 1.5°C of
pre-industrial levels. We advocate phasing
out coal and other fossil fuels to work to
ensure we are Carbon Neutral by 2030.
Fossil and nuclear subsidies must stop
now. Europe needs to divest from fossil
fuels and to pull private and public funds
from fossil investments.
To make this transition possible, we need
to transform the transport sector and make
trains a real alternative to planes across
Europe and overcome our dependency
on polluting cars as quickly as possible.
We need to stop the increasing pollution
from aviation and to invest extensively
in regional and cross-border railway
networks. To level the playing field
between train and air traffic, flights need
to be fairly taxed. We must also understand
and act upon the whole environmental
impact of all transport options including
shipping, particularly cruise ships.
As Greens we’ve been deeply inspired by
the sight of young people fighting for their
future in the Youth Strikes for Climate and
the citizen-led Extinction Rebellion. All our
policies draw on our understanding of the
need to protect our precious planet and the
climate that allows us to live.
Green wins during 2014-2019:
»» Ensuring that the EU committed a
target that by 2030, one third of all
energy would come from renewable
sources.
»» Achieved the phasing out of palm oil as
a biofuel in transport.
»» Introduced target for Nearly Zero
Energy Buildings (NZEBs) as standard
for all buildings by 2050.
»» Strengthening the regulation on CO2
emission standards for new heavyduty
vehicles, meaning large reductions
in their CO2 emissions.
RECHARGE
THE FIGHT AGAINST
CLIMATE CHANGE
Green ambition for 2019-2024:
»» Bring forward the principles, process
and practice for the EU to be Carbon
Neutral by 2030 which includes
phasing out of all fossil fuels,
promoting energy efficiency and a
move to 100% renewables.
»» Making subsidies to fossil fuels
illegal.
»» Introducing an EU-wide frequent flyer
levy and removing the tax advantages
for the aviation industry.
a 21st century economy
Endless
growth is fuelling an
environmental
crisis, whilst an out of
control
financial system pushes us
closer
to another disastrous crash. We’ll
reprogram
the economy, investing in Green
innovation
and research.
The
climate crisis and the collapse in
wildlife
across the world means we
need
to take urgent action to change the
economy.
This means changing the way
we
live, work and travel but it also offers
enormous
opportunities to create highskilled,
well-paid
jobs right across the
country.
Insulating homes or installing
sustainable
infrastructure has to happen in
all
our communities which means bringing
jobs
back home. This is what we mean by
the
Green New Deal.
Europe
must become the global leader
in
the just transition to a carbon-neutral
circular
economy through the Green New
Deal,
overcoming the austerity ideology
and
ensuring economic development
that
benefits everyone. This promise is of
good work and decent jobs,
sustainability,
social inclusiveness, improved crisis
resilience and stability. We want to work
in partnership with employees, unions and
businesses in order to promote economic
security. With the rapid and unrestricted
growth of the digital sector we need an
effective and independent EU authority
to supervise, control and limit the market
power of big corporations.
Europe needs a common sustainable
industrial policy where manufacturing is
sensitive to the life cycle of the products
produced and for sustainable finance
which supports ethical investment but
opposes greenwashing. The development
of adequate infrastructure has to be a
high priority and emphasis must be put
on research and eco-innovation. The
development of digital technology and
clean technology shall go hand in hand,
guided by societal needs and by the
international community’s Sustainable
Development Goals. Industrial deregulation
and trade agreements must not
be allowed to undermine or stand in the
way of environmental and social progress.
The next five years will see big changes
in the way we work, with automated
technology displacing many from their
jobs. Greens are prepared to take on the
power of the digital giants to challenge
their monopoly position. This is essential to
ensure value that comes from automation
benefits us all, rather than being
channelled into the pockets of the superrich.
Green wins 2014-2019:
»» The Greens, together with partners
built up a coalition in the European
Parliament against the Investor-
State Dispute Settlement (ISDS)
mechanism in free trade agreements.
ISDS mechanisms, which were made
famous by the failed TTIP treaty, are
private tribunals, which largely privilege
big corporations against states who
may wish to regulate them.
»» Thanks to the Greens, for the first
time in Europe, firms involved in the
extraction and trade of conflict minerals
will be obliged to check whether
their supply chain has links to armed
conflicts and human rights abuses.
»» Thanks to the Greens, the Parliament
will negotiate for compulsory criteria
on labour and environmental standards
in EU Trade Agreements, paving the
way for a UN binding instrument on
business and human
rights.
Green ambition for 2019-2024
»» An effective and independent EU
authority to supervise the digital sector
in order to control and limit the market
power of big corporations.
»» An EU-wide Green New Deal to
accelerate the sustainability transition
and create high-skilled jobs in all our
communities.
»» An upgrade of EU competition law to
ensure that the gains from automation
are shared fairly.
Meanwhile the newly created Brexit Party
launched its European elections campaign earlier this week, but its
self-appointed leader, Nigel Farage said they had no manifesto, and would only
reveal their policies at the end of
July, 6 weeks after the election.
Vote for a policy rich or policy-free party if
you wish!
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