Labour is in hot pursuit of the Green Party when it comes to the quality of the environmental policies laid out in its manifesto, but the Conservatives and Brexit Party are lagging far behind, a new ranking of party policies by Greenpeace shows.
The Greens remained at the top, due to their long leadership in the field, but as the climate crisis becomes an increasing concern across the political spectrum, most major parties are scrambling to set out their credentials on the issue.
The ranking gave points to each party for criteria which fell into four broad categories. These were: investing in a greener economy; energy, transport and homes; restoring nature; and showing global leadership on climate and nature.
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According to the ranking, the Green Party tops the list with 19 points out of a possible 20, followed closely by the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats, on 16 and 15 respectively. Plaid Cymru come in fourth with 13 points, while the Conservatives score poorly with 7. The Brexit Party sit at the bottom of the pile with just one point. The SNP had not released their manifesto by the time Greenpeace published the results, the organisation said.
“Labour are stating to nail it in the categories of electricity, land-based transport, home heating and efficiency, greening economic policy, trade and industrial strategy,” the analysis by Greenpeace said.
Environment news in pictures
Show all 8
Environment news in pictures
1/8 Davos 2019: David Attenborough issues stark warning about future of civilisation as he demands ‘practical solutions’ to combat climate change
Sir David Attenborough has issued a stark warning about climate change to business figures gathered in Davos, telling them that "what we do now...will profoundly affect the next few thousand years".
On the eve of this year's World Economic Forum, the renowned naturalist told the audience that the worlds of business and politics should "get on with the practical solutions" needed to prevent environmental damage.
"As a species we are expert problem solvers. But we've not yet applied ourselves to this problem with the focus it requires.
"We can create a world with clean air and water, unlimited energy, and fish stocks that will sustain us well into the future. But to do that, we need a plan," he said.
The broadcaster made his speech after receiving a Crystal Award, which is awarded by the forum to "exceptional cultural leaders".
AFP/Getty
2/8 At least 60% of wild coffee species face extinction triggered by climate change and disease
Two decades of research have revealed that 60 per cent of the world’s coffee species face extinction due to the combined threats of deforestation, disease and climate change.
The wild strain of arabica, the most widely consumed coffee on the planet, is among those now recognised as endangered, raising concerns about its long-term survival.
These results are worrying for the millions of farmers around the world who depend on the continued survival of coffee for their livelihoods.
As conditions for coffee farming become tougher, scientists predict the industry will need to rely on wild varieties to develop more resilient strains
Alan Schaller
3/8 Warming Antarctic waters are speeding the rate at which glaciers are melting
The Antarctic ice sheet is losing six times as much ice each year as it was in the 1980s and the pace is accelerating, one of the most comprehensive studies of climate change effects on the continent has shown.
More than half an inch has been added to global sea levels since 1979, but if current trends continue it will be responsible for metres more in future, the Nasa-funded study found.
The international effort used aerial photos, satellite data and climate models dating back to the 1970s across18 Antarctic regions to get the most complete picture to date on the impacts of the changing climate.
It found that between 1979 and 1990 Antarctica lost an average of 40 gigatonnes (40 billion tonnes) of its mass each year.
Between 2009 and 2017 it lost an average 252 gigatonnes a year. This has added 3.6mm per decade to sea levels, or around 14mm since 1979, the study shows
Nasa/Getty
4/8 Greater Manchester to ban fracking, paving way for confrontation with government over controversial industry
Greater Manchester is to effectively ban fracking, raising the prospect of fresh confrontation with the government over the controversial industry.
All of the region’s 10 councils are to implement planning policies which create a “presumption” against drilling for shale gas in their areas, Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has announced.
Campaigners said the move was the latest sign that the tide was turning against fracking, which has been the subject of multiple legal battles across the country.
Critics of fracking say it poses environmental and health risks. Drilling at the UK’s only operational fracking site, run by Cuadrilla in Lancashire, has repeatedly been halted due to earth tremors.
But ministers support the industry and last year unveiled plans to accelerate the development of new drilling sites
Ross Wills
5/8 Japan confirms plan to resume commercial whaling in its waters from next year
Japan will resume commercial whaling next year for the first time in more than three decades, in a move that has provoked strong criticism from campaigners and the international community.
Chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said his nation would leave the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to resume hunting the marine mammals in Japanese waters.
However, he stated the activity would be limited to Japan’s territory and the 200 mile exclusive economic zone along its coasts.
This means controversial “scientific” trips to Antarctica in which Japanese vessels killed hundreds of whales, as well as activity in the northwest Pacific, will stop in 2019
AP
6/8 COP24: Environmental groups criticise ‘morally unacceptable’ climate deal reached after major Poland summit
Diplomats from around the world have agreed a major climate deal after two weeks of United Nations talks in Poland.
But climate campaigners warned the deal – effectively a set of rules for how to govern the 2015 Paris climate accord – agreed between almost 200 countries lacked ambition or a clear promise of enhanced climate action.
Activists cautiously welcomed elements of the plan, saying “important progress” had been made on ensuring that efforts to tackle climate change by individual nations can be measured and compared.
But environmental groups were also highly critical of the agreement, warning it lacked ambition and clarity on key issues, including financing for climate projects for developing countries.
The COP24 deal, which is aimed at providing firm guidelines for countries on how to transparently report their greenhouse gas emissions and their efforts to reduce them, was confirmed on 15 December, after talks overran
Reuters
7/8 ‘Unprecedented changes’ needed to stop global warming as UN report reveals islands starting to vanish and coral reefs dying
Greenhouse gas emissions must be cut almost in half by 2030 to avert global environmental catastrophe, including the total loss of every coral reef, the disappearance of Arctic ice and the destruction of island communities, a landmark UN report has concluded.
Drawing on more than 6,000 scientific studies and compiled over two years, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) findings, released this morning, warn enormous and rapid changes to the way everyone on Earth eats, travels and produces energy need to be brought in immediately.
Though the scientists behind the report said there is cause for optimism, they recognised the grim reality that nations are currently nowhere near on track to avert disaster
AFP/Getty
8/8 Africa’s three biggest elephant poaching cartels exposed using DNA from illegal ivory shipments
DNA taken from massive shipments of ivory has been used to identify the three largest wildlife trafficking gangs operating at the height of Africa’s elephant poaching epidemic.
Ivory tends to be shipped around the world from African ports in bulk, and scientists have used genetic evidence gleaned from intercepted batches to reveal their origins.
Led by Dr Samuel Wasser from the University of Washington, they traced a number of these shipments to three cartels operating out of Kenya, Uganda and Togo.
Evidence collected by Dr Wasser has already helped convict ivory kingpin Feisal Mohamed Ali, and as his team joins the dots between shipments they plan to shore up the cases against more of the continent’s most prolific smugglers
Art Wolfe
1/8 Davos 2019: David Attenborough issues stark warning about future of civilisation as he demands ‘practical solutions’ to combat climate change
Sir David Attenborough has issued a stark warning about climate change to business figures gathered in Davos, telling them that "what we do now...will profoundly affect the next few thousand years".
On the eve of this year's World Economic Forum, the renowned naturalist told the audience that the worlds of business and politics should "get on with the practical solutions" needed to prevent environmental damage.
"As a species we are expert problem solvers. But we've not yet applied ourselves to this problem with the focus it requires.
"We can create a world with clean air and water, unlimited energy, and fish stocks that will sustain us well into the future. But to do that, we need a plan," he said.
The broadcaster made his speech after receiving a Crystal Award, which is awarded by the forum to "exceptional cultural leaders".
AFP/Getty
2/8 At least 60% of wild coffee species face extinction triggered by climate change and disease
Two decades of research have revealed that 60 per cent of the world’s coffee species face extinction due to the combined threats of deforestation, disease and climate change.
The wild strain of arabica, the most widely consumed coffee on the planet, is among those now recognised as endangered, raising concerns about its long-term survival.
These results are worrying for the millions of farmers around the world who depend on the continued survival of coffee for their livelihoods.
As conditions for coffee farming become tougher, scientists predict the industry will need to rely on wild varieties to develop more resilient strains
Alan Schaller
3/8 Warming Antarctic waters are speeding the rate at which glaciers are melting
The Antarctic ice sheet is losing six times as much ice each year as it was in the 1980s and the pace is accelerating, one of the most comprehensive studies of climate change effects on the continent has shown.
More than half an inch has been added to global sea levels since 1979, but if current trends continue it will be responsible for metres more in future, the Nasa-funded study found.
The international effort used aerial photos, satellite data and climate models dating back to the 1970s across18 Antarctic regions to get the most complete picture to date on the impacts of the changing climate.
It found that between 1979 and 1990 Antarctica lost an average of 40 gigatonnes (40 billion tonnes) of its mass each year.
Between 2009 and 2017 it lost an average 252 gigatonnes a year. This has added 3.6mm per decade to sea levels, or around 14mm since 1979, the study shows
Nasa/Getty
4/8 Greater Manchester to ban fracking, paving way for confrontation with government over controversial industry
Greater Manchester is to effectively ban fracking, raising the prospect of fresh confrontation with the government over the controversial industry.
All of the region’s 10 councils are to implement planning policies which create a “presumption” against drilling for shale gas in their areas, Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has announced.
Campaigners said the move was the latest sign that the tide was turning against fracking, which has been the subject of multiple legal battles across the country.
Critics of fracking say it poses environmental and health risks. Drilling at the UK’s only operational fracking site, run by Cuadrilla in Lancashire, has repeatedly been halted due to earth tremors.
But ministers support the industry and last year unveiled plans to accelerate the development of new drilling sites
Ross Wills
5/8 Japan confirms plan to resume commercial whaling in its waters from next year
Japan will resume commercial whaling next year for the first time in more than three decades, in a move that has provoked strong criticism from campaigners and the international community.
Chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said his nation would leave the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to resume hunting the marine mammals in Japanese waters.
However, he stated the activity would be limited to Japan’s territory and the 200 mile exclusive economic zone along its coasts.
This means controversial “scientific” trips to Antarctica in which Japanese vessels killed hundreds of whales, as well as activity in the northwest Pacific, will stop in 2019
AP
6/8 COP24: Environmental groups criticise ‘morally unacceptable’ climate deal reached after major Poland summit
Diplomats from around the world have agreed a major climate deal after two weeks of United Nations talks in Poland.
But climate campaigners warned the deal – effectively a set of rules for how to govern the 2015 Paris climate accord – agreed between almost 200 countries lacked ambition or a clear promise of enhanced climate action.
Activists cautiously welcomed elements of the plan, saying “important progress” had been made on ensuring that efforts to tackle climate change by individual nations can be measured and compared.
But environmental groups were also highly critical of the agreement, warning it lacked ambition and clarity on key issues, including financing for climate projects for developing countries.
The COP24 deal, which is aimed at providing firm guidelines for countries on how to transparently report their greenhouse gas emissions and their efforts to reduce them, was confirmed on 15 December, after talks overran
Reuters
7/8 ‘Unprecedented changes’ needed to stop global warming as UN report reveals islands starting to vanish and coral reefs dying
Greenhouse gas emissions must be cut almost in half by 2030 to avert global environmental catastrophe, including the total loss of every coral reef, the disappearance of Arctic ice and the destruction of island communities, a landmark UN report has concluded.
Drawing on more than 6,000 scientific studies and compiled over two years, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) findings, released this morning, warn enormous and rapid changes to the way everyone on Earth eats, travels and produces energy need to be brought in immediately.
Though the scientists behind the report said there is cause for optimism, they recognised the grim reality that nations are currently nowhere near on track to avert disaster
AFP/Getty
8/8 Africa’s three biggest elephant poaching cartels exposed using DNA from illegal ivory shipments
DNA taken from massive shipments of ivory has been used to identify the three largest wildlife trafficking gangs operating at the height of Africa’s elephant poaching epidemic.
Ivory tends to be shipped around the world from African ports in bulk, and scientists have used genetic evidence gleaned from intercepted batches to reveal their origins.
Led by Dr Samuel Wasser from the University of Washington, they traced a number of these shipments to three cartels operating out of Kenya, Uganda and Togo.
Evidence collected by Dr Wasser has already helped convict ivory kingpin Feisal Mohamed Ali, and as his team joins the dots between shipments they plan to shore up the cases against more of the continent’s most prolific smugglers
Art Wolfe
“Their accompanying policy document for nature also contains some great things, especially on large-scale tree planting, recognising the need for action on more controversial areas like meat and dairy, pesticide use, efficient product design, nature recovery networks and ocean protection.
“They need to start being more vocal in all these areas,” the report said, adding: “The policy on sustainable food production is still unclear.”
The Conservatives, which sit near the bottom of the ranking “fall short” because their policies do not take a “cross-economy transformational approach,” the report said.
“The party’s continued support for a number of polluting industries, such as aviation, oil and gas, and massive spending commitments for new road-building are at odds with their net-zero target,” the report said.
The document also noted the Liberal Democrats scored better than Labour on transport, both in “aviation and a firmer commitment to get rid of polluting petrol and diesel cars and vans from our roads.”
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But Greenpeace said Labour had the upper hand because tackling the climate and nature emergency was more deeply embedded in the party’s economic strategy.
Greenpeace applauded Plaid Cymru’s “ambitious 2030 date for both zero carbon emissions and a ban on the sale of new diesel and petrol cars and vans”, but noted they have “a much more limited vision for nature restoration with a commitment to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) direct payment scheme for agriculture, along with weak policies on ocean protection.”
The Brexit Party received short shrift.
“A complete lack of a plan to deliver a net zero future or restore nature, means that the Brexit Party scored poorly across all of the 16 criteria for climate and nature. They do however, plan to cancel HS2, which would devastate habitats and ancient woodland across the UK.”
The ranking comes ahead of Thursday night’s televised election debate on the climate emergency on Channel 4, in which the leaders of Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party, and the SNP will go head-to-head over their policies.
Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage have so far declined invitations to take part.
Rebecca Newsom, head of politics at Greenpeace UK, said: “Manifestos are a shop window into the next five years of economic, political and social change. The climate and nature crisis will affect all three in ways that humanity has never experienced before, and those policies deserve to be displayed with prominence and a lot of detail.
“Some parties clearly recognise that this is an emergency and have included policies with the ambition needed to meet the scale of the challenge in front of us. But some have failed to adequately prepare.”
She added: “With environmental concerns rocketing up the public and political agenda, voters want to know what politicians plan to do to get us out of this mess and seize the opportunity for a greener and fairer future. Our ranking exposes their policies for all to see, allowing people to make an informed decision on December 12th.”
Polls indicate more than half of UK voters say climate change will influence how they vote.
In marginal seats in the North and Midlands, 70 per cent of voters say climate change will be an important deciding factor for them in this election, according to a new poll from the New Economics Foundation.
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