Labour’s manifesto published today spells out our better plan to protect and improve our environment. 

Here are SERA’s highlights:

A million green jobs
The next Labour Government will work to make Britain a world leader in low carbon technologies over the next decade, creating a million additional green jobs. This aim will be supported by ambitious domestic carbon reduction targets, including a legal target to remove the carbon from our electricity supply by 2030, and a major drive for energy efficiency.

Warm, energy efficient homes
We will bring down energy bills by making homes more energy efficient, delivering a million interest free loans for energy home improvements in the next Parliament. For those on low incomes, we will make 200,000 homes warm every year, delivered street-by-street by local authorities and community organisations.

Leading global role in tackling climate change. 
We want an ambitious agreement on climate change at the UN Climate Change conference in Paris, in December. We will make the case for ambitious emissions targets for all countries, strengthened every five years on the basis of a scientific assessment of the progress towards the below two degree goal. And we will push for 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.

Air pollution
We will deal with the problems of air pollution by giving local authorities the powers they need, backed up by a national framework.

Animal welfare
We will build on our strong record on animal welfare – starting with an end to the Government’s  ineffective and cruel badger cull. We will improve the protection of dogs and cats, ban wild animals in circuses, defend the hunting ban and deal with wildlife crime associated with shooting.

Melanie Smallman said:

“Labour’s manifesto shows that Ed Miliband understands the importance of tackling climate change – it’s not just about avoiding floods, famine and disaster but also ensuring we have a prosperous and fair future.

Labour’s environmental policies embody our values, creating high skilled green jobs for the future, supporting the vulnerable through insulating drafty houses and so cutting energy bills, standing up for the many and enshrining our commitment to fairness now and in the future.”