Bold action needed on renewable energy!
Anja Schaefer, Lib Dem prospective parliamentary candidate for Mid Bucks, calls for a fair deal on energy and the environment
Green energy must be one of the biggest priorities for the next government, so that we can tackle climate change and prevent even more floods, heatwaves and droughts. The Conservative Government’s net zero strategy is failing - they’ve supported greater oil and gas production, approved a new coal mine, and failed to boost home insulation effectively.
Investing in renewable energy will also help to achieve greater energy security and should be an important element in reducing households’ energy bills. Liberal Democrats would invest in renewable power to generate 80% of the UK’s electricity from renewables by 2030 and provide free retrofits for low-income homes and tax incentives for other households to reduce energy consumption, emissions, fuel bills and reliance on gas.
Climate change threatens crops and wildlife, so investing in renewable energy will help us in the fight to protect nature and secure sustainable food production.
We therefore need the right renewables mix that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve energy security, protect nature and agriculture and, very importantly, will give people more local control over energy production and make sure they see this translate into savings in their energy bills.
Anja Schaefer, Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Mid Buckinghamshire, says: “I want to see building regulations that require a form of renewable energy generation for all newly built houses, and government support to retrofit existing houses and small business premises with solar panels and heat-pumps wherever feasible and appropriate.
"I want to see far more existing flat roofs used for solar energy generation, as well as solar car ports. And I would like to see many more community based green energy schemes, so that people have a say over energy generation and see direct benefits in their communities.
“Large scale solar farms on agricultural land, either in a single large application or many cumulative smaller ones, are far from ideal, particularly where they significantly distract from the natural beauty of the landscape, or negatively affect food production or wildlife.
"We urgently need national and local plans to promote an orderly, planned development of sustainable energy. This needs to set out strategic sites for energy and food production and make sure any such development enhances rather than destroys nature and food production. It also needs to make sure local communities benefit”.