{"id":7072,"date":"2024-06-15T16:24:35","date_gmt":"2024-06-15T15:24:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ealingfoe.org.uk\/?p=7072"},"modified":"2024-07-01T17:40:10","modified_gmt":"2024-07-01T16:40:10","slug":"the-election-debate-hots-up-what-do-the-local-parties-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ealingfoe.org.uk\/the-election-debate-hots-up-what-do-the-local-parties-say\/","title":{"rendered":"The election debate hots up: what do the local parties say?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Ealing FoE has written to all of the candidates in the 3 Ealing constituences to ask them about their environment policies. Many thanks to all those who replied. Some replied on behalf of their party who had put up candidates in other Ealing constituences. Some are independents speaking for themselves. Some didn’t bother to reply at all and so\u00a0 are missing from this article. <\/strong><\/p>

The question we asked is:\u00a0 Do the candidates’ environmental policies live up to the Friends of the Earth demands for the next government:<\/strong><\/p>

  1. Deliver an ambitious new climate action plan that delivers on our global pledge to help prevent catastrophic climate change.<\/strong><\/li>
  2. Fix the UK’s heat-leaking homes by investing \u00a36 billion- a \u2013year in a council-led, street-by-street home insulation programme to cut bills and emissions.<\/strong><\/li>
  3. End the sewage scandal and take action to clean up the water and air pollution that\u2019s harming our health and threatening our waterways, wildlife and nature.<\/strong><\/li>
  4. Take action to ensure the UK plays its part in global efforts to tackle the climate and nature crises.<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Green Party - EFoE assessment: 5 out of 5<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Ealing Green Party (which includes all 3 Ealing constituences) are supporting their national organisation’s ambitious new climate action plan which encompasses all of the four Friends of the Earth demands of the next government.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Thank you for getting in touch, and for your patience while we waited for the Green Party\u2019s manifesto to be launched.<\/p>

    We share your concerns about the environment globally, nationally, and locally here in Ealing.<\/p>

    Here are our responses to your four key demands for a new government:<\/p>

    1. Deliver an ambitious new climate action plan that delivers on our global pledge to help prevent catastrophic climate change.<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>

      The Green Party manifesto<\/a> makes our position very clear: \u2018we can and must make the right political choices in order to transition at speed to a decarbonised economy\u2019<\/em>.\u00a0 Our manifesto also lays out that the solutions to addressing the climate crisis are the same as those needed to end the costs of living and inequality crises.<\/p>

      1. Fix the UK’s heat-leaking homes by investing \u00a36 billion- a \u2013year in a council-led, street-by-street home insulation programme to cut bills and emissions.<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>

        We would provide fairer, greener homes by investing in energy efficiency. Elected Greens have made manifesto commitments to achieve this- you can see the full details and amounts proposed here<\/a>.<\/p>

        1. End the sewage scandal and take action to clean up the water and air pollution that’s harming our health and threatening our waterways, wildlife and nature.<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>

          We would push for a Clean Air Act, setting in law the right to breathe clean air. We are clear that the only way to end the dirty water scandal is to bring water companies back into public ownership.<\/p>

          1. Take action to ensure the UK plays its part in global efforts to tackle the climate and nature crises.<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>

            Green Party MPs would ensure that the UK\u2019s climate finance commitments are delivered in full, work to remove the burden of debt from the Global South, and push for a new international law against ecocide. More information can be found in our manifesto section<\/a> on how we would work to build a fairer, greener, safer world.<\/p>

            I hope these answers have demonstrated to your supporters that all three of your Ealing Green candidates in this General Election support the Friends of the Earth demands and, if we are successfully elected in Ealing, we will work hard to achieve them.
            Yours<\/span><\/p>

            Neil Reynolds, Natalia Kubica, Kate Crossland<\/p>

            —
            Kate Crossland
            Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Ealing Central and Acton, Green Party<\/div><\/div>

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            Reform - EFoE assessment: \u00bd out of 5 <\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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            Reform appear to have no understanding of the science behind climate change and its policies are not only wrong but potentially dangerous.<\/strong><\/p>

            Steve Chilcott, Reform’s parliamentary candidate for Ealing Southall, replied to EFoE’s request for information about his environment policies by saying that climate change has happened before and that the only thing to do was to learn to live with it and forget about attempts to halt it.<\/strong><\/p>

            He said: “Net zero means reducing man made CO2 emissions to stop climate change. It can\u2019t. Climate change has happened for millions of years, before man made CO2 emissions, and will always change. We are better to adapt to warming, rather than pretend we can stop it.”<\/strong><\/p>

            He is wrong. NASA and other scientists have shown that our planet’s average surface temperature has risen one degree Celsius since the late 19th<\/sup> century caused by increased carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere and other human activities. Most of this warming has happened in the past 40 years with the seven most recent years being the warmest.<\/strong><\/p>

            The earth’s climate has changed throughout history but the current warming is happening at a rate not seen in the past 10,000 years. Previous changes have been incredibly slow, taking place over millennia.<\/strong><\/p>

            The consequences of climate change include oceans getting warmer, glaciers retreating, snow cover decreasing, sea level rising and extreme events like high temperatures or low temperatures or increased rainfall happening more frequently.<\/strong><\/p>

            The whole balance of nature where bird and fish migrations happen so that they can feed on certain insects or plants when they are abundant is being destroyed; plants and trees come into leaf and flower using triggers provided by the air temperature. Eventually climate change will mean it will become more difficult to grow the food we need to survive.<\/strong><\/p>

            Steve Chilcott says: ” Net Zero is the wrong focus and at the wrong price, in the wrong timeframe. Westminster\u2019s obsession with Net Zero is damaging our livelihoods and the economy. It has sent energy bills soaring, made it harder for businesses to compete and is costing tens of thousands of jobs and increasing inflation.”<\/strong><\/p>

            But EFoE says that attempting to reach net zero is the only thing we can currently do to try to hold back climate change as there is no technological solution yet and won’t be for sometime, possibly ever. But doing nothing but trying “to adapt to warming” as Steve Chillcott says is defeatist and potentially dangerous as it will make the problem worse.<\/strong><\/p>

            The destruction of our planet and our way of life is not inevitable. We can try to limit the amount of CO2 we put into the atmosphere by making use of less polluting fuels \u2013 and this transition involves a whole new industry of green energy which will provide thousands of jobs. Admittedly some things could have been done better so all the more reason to make sure it’s done properly.<\/strong><\/p>

            Steve Chilcott is hoping to become the MP for Ealing Southall \u2013 an area with very close links to the Asian subcontinent where temperatures have been reaching an unprecedented 50 degrees Celsius. For the sake of his constituents and their wider families that is even more reason to campaign for reducing CO2 emissions to stop climate change.<\/strong><\/p>

            Steve Chilcott also says there are “some significant pollution issues in Ealing Southall, both in our waterways and also clean air issues around some of the brownfield developments.” He supports ensuring Warren Farm is fully protected as a wild and natural space \u2013 both points EFoE agrees with.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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            At Reform we care about the environment and we want to use technology to do our bit. However, we believe Net Zero is the wrong focus and at the wrong price, in the wrong timeframe. Westminster\u2019s obsession with Net Zero is damaging our livelihoods and the economy. It has sent energy bills soaring, made it harder for businesses to compete and is costing tens of thousands of jobs and increasing inflation.<\/p>

            Net zero means reducing man made CO2 emissions to stop climate change. It can\u2019t. Climate change has happened for millions of years, before man made CO2 emissions, and will always change. We are better to adapt to warming, rather than pretend we can stop it. Up to 10 times more people die of cold than warmth. In Roman Britain some 2,000 years ago, it was 2 degrees warmer than now. Grapes for wine were grown in Yorkshire.<\/p>

            CO2 is essential for photosynthesis to enable plant growth. CO2 only represents 0.04% of the atmosphere; the average garden greenhouse has 3 times more! The UK produces only 1% of global CO2 emissions, yet China produces 27%. China and India are building hundreds of coal fired power stations. Even the IPCC admits Net Zero would make no difference to sea level rise for 200-1,000 years.<\/p>

            Instead, Net Zero sends our money abroad and damages critical industries like steel production. The current government has turned Britain from being an exporter of oil and gas into a net importer. They have bet our future on unreliable wind and solar power and destroyed our energy security. We need a common sense and practical energy strategy.<\/p>

            In terms of the local picture, we have some significant pollution issues in Ealing Southall, both in our waterways and also clean air issues around some of the brownfield developments such as the Green Quarter. I commit to seeking to address these issues, as a clean environment is essential for all of us who live in the constituency. I also commit to holding Labour Council to account in ensuring Warren Farm is fully protected as a wild and natural space.<\/p>

            Hope this helps.<\/p>

            Best regards<\/p>

            Steve Chilcott<\/p>

            Reform Parliamentary candidate for Ealing Southall<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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            Liberal Democrats - EFoE assessment: 4\u00bd out of 5<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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            The Libdems are very busy. This was the reply from their candidate in Ealing North Craig O’Donnell. We’ve copied over their national environment policy which is excellent but they lose half a point because they don’t seem to have thought how they can help the particular constituencies they want to represent.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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            Thank you for your message.<\/p>

            Currently we are receiving a very high volume of messages so we will do our best to respond but sadly cannot promise to come back on every email received before 4th July.<\/p>

            To gain an instant idea of the Liberal Democrats policies for a Fair Deal please see our manifesto which can be accessed via the following link
            https:\/\/www.libdems.org.uk\/manifesto<\/a><\/p>

            Thank you for your ongoing interest in our programme.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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