Further to the previous post ....

..... here is the Guardian's take on the Tory proposals. I think that this provides a more concise and clear summary than most of the rest of the media.

This is the article reproduced in full.
_________________________________________

Under proposals published yesterday the Tories have promised to redefine the measure of the UK's success away from simply measuring GDP and towards a group of indicators taking in economic wellbeing, societal wellbeing and environmental wellbeing.

Climate change

· Set a target for carbon dioxide emissions focused on ensuring global temperatures rise no more than 2C above pre-industrial levels. This means the UK must plan for an 80% cut in global emissions by 2050, higher than current government targets.

Now that is ambitious - and, unfortunately, probably unachievable.

· Reform the European emissions trading scheme (ETS) so that all permits to the utility sector and aviation are subject to auction, a means of raising the cost.

· "Clean development mechanisms" (such as carbon trading) should not be used as a way of avoiding domestic reductions in C02 emissons.

It will be interesting to see how they could enforce that.

Flying

· Moratorium on airport expansion, VAT on aviation fuel in domestic flights, and inclusion of aviation in ETS. Reform air passenger duty so it is linked to the flight and not the passenger.

· Publish comparative details of carbon dioxide emissions on tickets and set up a global trust for all climate change communication.

Motoring

· A new purchase tax on cars of up to 10% depending on CO2 output, as well as a sliding VAT scale between 5% and 17.5%. Vehicle excise duty set at maximum of £500, more than double the present £215 top rate.

Interesting!

· Introduce car efficiency targets of 120g of CO2 emitted per kilometre by 2012 and 80-100g by 2020 throughout the EU.

European vehicle manufacturers are struggling to meet the EU's current target of 140g, the UK trying to enforce even more stringent cuts is rather pointless.

· Place cigarette-style warnings, of a mandated size, on all car adverts.

This will be an utter waste of time if you ask me!

· Introduce a new employer parking spaces tax set at market rate.

Could cause a few problems, especially for bigger businesses.

· Reduce volume of car trips by 10%-17% by designing neighbourhoods where people can walk between amenities.

Errrmm, like, how? My nearest bank/cinema/post office etc. is over 6 miles away.

· Review cost-benefit analysis of road building.

Surely they do this already? If not, why the hell not?

Countryside

· Trespassers and burglars should no longer have the right to sue for damage done to them on other people's property.

That just might win them a few votes!

· Improve the needs test to control out of town shopping.

· Abolish regional government tier in planning.

Meaning what, exactly?

· Double council tax on a home that remains empty for more than a year.

· Relax planning controls on all estates with four or more houses built since 1945.

Also, meaning what, exactly?

· Review the spread of buy to let.

· Local councils, by referendum, able to rule that only people living in a countryside home for 200 days a year or more are allowed to buy the property.

That could prove extremely difficult to implement!

Energy efficiency

· Abolish home information packs, the government's controversial attempt to streamline the house buying process.

· A mandatory code for new sustainable homes, plus energy performance certificates requiring improvements by landlords and homeowners when major changes are made to a house.

About time too - we should have been doing this 30 years ago!

· Financial incentives (such as council tax rebates) plus low-cost capital to help homeowners improve energy efficiency, and reduced stamp duty for energy- efficient homes.

Bring it on!! The most sensible idea so far!

· All public companies to make annual statement on energy use by setting out their energy consumption per square metre.

Hmmmm, I thought that they are already supposed to do this? (Not necessarily by per M2)

· Smart meters introduced over a period of 10 years to aid energy saving.

Again, we should have been doing this years ago!

· Standby switches to be abandoned subject to EU agreement.

Not sure that this is achievable - I'd prefer to ban products that consume anything more than say, 1 watt, whilst on standby mode. Imagine having to reset the clock on your DVD/VCR every single time you switch it on!

Energy

· No new coal power stations after 2020 without carbon capture and storage. Existing stations will have until 2025 to introduce the technology.

Hoo - bloody -ray! Again, we should have been doing this for years now!

· No taxpayer/government funding for nuclear fission, risks and costs of nuclear borne by the private sector. But new carbon price in ETS will make nuclear more competitive.

So does that mean that fusion technology research is still funded?

· Withdraw subsidy for onshore wind farms.

If they are in poor, wind inefficient locations, then yes, it makes sense, otherwise I'm not too certain.

Food and waste

· Bans on the landfilling of recyclable and compostable materials.

Errrrm, wasn't this already supposed to be in place? Or is that just some local councils own initiative?

· 20p deposit on returnable bottles.

Back to the good old days when I was a kid! Bottle collecting for pocket money!

· Incinerators would capture and generate heat.

And put out lots of CO2 and toxins unless mandatorily fitted with CO2 and noxious gas scrubbers.

· A strengthened, legally binding code of practice on supermarkets and a ban on selling below cost price.

Hmmmm, a code of practice or legislation? Loss leading is a way of life for the big supermarket chains, it's one of the only tools they have for gaining market share!

· Reform Common Agricultural Policy but do not cut the amount of money spent on CAP in the UK.

Now there's a can of worms waiting to be opened!!

ADDENDUM (by Junkk Male):

I guess it's part of the political fabric, but it sill seems a shame that whatever one lot does the other lot(s) will trash it all. Anyhoo, as those with perhaps more claim to being green than most, here's what I got sent (maybe there'll be more detail on what was in the report to come):

Greens dismiss Tory environmental claims

Speaking in advance of this week's publication of the Conservative
Party's 'Quality of Life' review, Green Party Principal Speakers Siân
Berry and Derek Wall today dismissed suggestions that the Tories had
gone Green.

Green Party Principal Speaker Siân Berry said:

"It seems clear that Cameron is trying to slide out of his previous
promise that the Tories would support a new round of nuclear power
stations only as a last resort.

"Backing nuclear power makes a mockery of their green pretensions.

"Dirty, dangerous, unnecessary and expensive - support for this
ailing industry comes at a cost of funding for the cutting edge
renewables technology.

Principal Speaker Derek Wall said:

"If they were serious about tackling climate change, the Tories would
call for an immediate moratorium on any more road building or
aviation growth.

"As it is, their belief that a bigger economy is a better economy
undermines any hope they have of adopting the right policies for
tackling climate change."

"The Conservatives privatisation of public transport under Thatcher
is one of the reasons why 80 per cent of journeys are by car. They
need to support the renationalisation of rail as well as reregulation
of bus travel."

Not the greatest in consumer-helpful, specfics-heavy retorts I might have hoped for, especially when reaching back to the Thatcher era at one point.