So, the UK election rumbles on and this week we had the Party manifestos. So what do the parties offer on sustainability? Trying to be as objective as I can*, here’s my quick and dirty review of the five national parties, in order of current number of seats in Parliament:

1. Conservatives

Big Headlines (ie mentions in key pledges):

• None

Detail:

• Reaffirmation to meet international commitments on climate change.
• Pro-fracking.
• Investment in renewables but with an emphasis on ‘cost effectiveness’. Halting ‘spread of onshore wind farms’.
• Every vehicle to be zero emissions by 2050, double cycling, investment in railways.
• ‘Blue Belt’ of marine reserves.

My verdict: Token effort – and a mixed bag at that.

2. Labour

Big Headlines:

• None.

Detail:

• Create a million additional green jobs.
• Legal target to remove the carbon from the electricity supply by 2030, a major drive for energy efficiency.
• Broad support for rail and cycling (no commitments)
• A timetable for the Green Investment Bank to be given additional powers so that it can invest in green businesses and technology.
• Creation of an Energy Security Board to plan and deliver the energy mix we need, including renewables, nuclear, green gas, carbon capture and storage, and clean coal.
• An adaptation strategy;
• Put climate change at the heart of foreign policy, a goal of net zero global emissions in the second half of this century, for transparent and universal rules for measuring, verifying and reporting emissions, and for an equitable deal in which richer countries provide support to poorer nations in combatting climate change.
• Pro-fracking but with tighter controls.

My verdict: Some good stuff in here, but you have to dig to find it and on some issues it is worryingly vague. What happened to the green bonds promised before the election?

3. Liberal Democrats

Big Headlines:

• Five green laws: Nature Act, Resource Efficiency and Zero Waste Britain Act, Green Transport Act, Zero Carbon Britain Act, Green Buildings Act

Detail (selected):

• All major rail routes electrified by 2030.
• very new bus and taxi is Ultra Low Emission from 2030 and every car to meet standard by 2040.
• A new legally-binding target for Zero Carbon Britain by 2050, to be monitored and audited by the Climate Change Committee (CCC).
• A 2030 power sector decarbonisation target of 50-100g per kWh.
• Emission Performance Standards for existing coal power stations, designed to ensure electricity generation from unabated coal will stop by 2025.
• Full borrowing powers to the Green Investment Bank
• Council Tax discount for significant improvements in energy efficiency in homes.
• All social and private rented homes to reach Energy Performance Certificate Band C by 2027.
• Statutory target to bring the homes of all fuel-poor households to Band C by 2027.
• A new legal framework to require regulators to facilitate the development of deep geothermal heat, large- scale heat pumps, waste industrial heat and energy storage systems.
• A statutory recycling target of 70% for waste in England.
• Regulation to promote design that enhances repairability, reuse and recycling, requiring specified products to be sold with parts and labour guarantees for at least five years.
• Steadily higher green criteria in public procurement policy.
• ‘Stern report’ on resource efficiency.

My verdict: A comprehensive plan for a greener economy and society. How much will survive any coalition negotiation is the only question.

4. UKIP

• None

Detail:

• Repeal the Climate Change Act.
• Abolish Department of Energy & Climate Change.
• Remove subsidies for all renewables except hydropower.
• Pro-fracking, rejuvenate coal power.

My verdict: their heads are in the sand, mine are in my hands.

5. The Green Party

Big Headlines:

• Make international agreement on climate change the focus of foreign policy.
• £85bn investment in renewables, flood defence and building insulation.
• Sustainable agriculture.
• More public transport, cycling and walking.

Detail (selected):

• Recycling target of 70% by 2020, towards zero waste.
• Increase national spending on recycling and waste disposal by about 50%.
• Cut energy demand by a third by 2020, a half by 2030 and two thirds by 2050.
• All new homes to PassivHaus standard.
• Provide a free nationwide retrofit insulation programme, concentrated on areas where fuel poverty is most serious.
• Provide £4.5bn over the parliament to support research and development into less energy-intensive industrial processes.
• Bring the railways into public ownership.
• End the national major roads programme, saving £15bn. Put the money saved into subsidising public transport fares.
• Phase out fossil-fuel based energy generation and nuclear power. No fracking. End fossil fuel tax breaks.
• Return the railways to public hands. Immediate cut in fares of 10%.
• Full borrowing for Green Investment Bank.
• More priority for community renewables.

My verdict: As you would expect, a comprehensive offer, if somewhat anti-business. There will be a cost of course and the party acknowledges this, pledging to increase borrowing.

Overall verdict: the only two parties pushing sustainability hard are the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party – the question is whether you are a mango (green on the outside, orange – liberal – in the middle) or a watermelon (green on the outside, red in the middle).

* Full disclosure: I’m a Liberal Democrat member and Councillor, but on this blog I try my utmost to be non-partisan.