Man looking at distant windmills (reversed)

General Election 2017

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General Election 2017

After a turbulent 6 weeks of campaigning, the Conservative Party is now forming a new government – with backing from Northern Ireland’s DUP.
 
From now on it’s our job to make sure this government is never allowed to forget the environment. Read our 8 environmental priorities for the new government.
 
From climate change to air pollution, lives depend on urgent action from Theresa May and her Ministers. 
 
Negotiating the UK’s exit from the EU is top of their agenda –  never before have so many of our environmental protections been in jeopardy. 
 
We need to campaign harder than ever to retain and strengthen the environmental laws that keep us safe and healthy.

8 priorities for the new government

"Right now, a day is a long time in politics. In the time it takes for this blog to appear online after I press publish I wouldn’t be surprised if several Ministers have resigned, at least two leadership elections have taken place and the entire membership of the House of Lords has voted to dissolve themselves in favour of an elected second chamber.

But, while the political climate is increasingly unpredictable, some things stay frighteningly certain: global temperatures are rising, threats to nature are increasing, and children in the UK are growing up with smaller lungs because of the pollution in our air. From clean air to climate change lives literally depend on urgent action from Theresa May and her new Ministers..."

Read Craig's full blog

Without action, the 5 years after the election could see:

200,000
premature deaths linked with air pollution in the UK
-95%
investment in renewables
18,300
hectares more green space lost, decreasing animal habitats

Did the environment feature in the manifestos?

We want all political parties to stand up for our environment.

Here’s how they ranked.

How did the parties score?

Our election 2017 manifesto asks

Man installing solar panels
Climate & Energy

Urgently publish a plan to meet our Climate Change Act goals, and our international pledge to help keep global temperature rises under 1.5 degrees, make all electricity carbon free by 2030 and ban fracking.

 

Children looking across landscape
Nature Laws & Brexit

Ensure all the environmental protections gained as part of the EU become UK law, and commit to a new law to make sure our countryside and wildlife gets better over time.

Child holding big flower
Food & Farming

Ensure farming subsidies are only used to help farmers to protect and improve the countryside and protect wildlife. Permanently ban the use of bee-harming neonicotinoid pesticides.

Boy eating an apple
Health

End the public health crisis of illegal air pollution levels by 2018, phase out diesel vehicles by 2025 and aim to meet World Health Organisation air quality standards.

4 people holding reusable coffee cups
Waste

Cut food waste in half by 2030 and slash the plastic pollution of our seas and rivers by 2020.

Protestors supporting action on climate change
Rights & Justice

Ensure the public can hold politicians to account in court when the environment is harmed and protect the right of civil society to speak out. Give refuge to those fleeing the consequences of our climate chaos.

Our full manifesto asks [PDF]

Friends of the Earth is party politically impartial. Our aim is to ensure all parties have the strongest possible policies to protect the environment.