Sir Ed Davey - Green Hero
Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Ed Davey has been pushing for a green agenda throughout his own career and is guiding the party to force climate change and environmental affairs to the forefront of the agenda.
"In government, we would cut greenhouse gas emissions to Net Zero by 2045, while investing enough to ensure that 80 per cent of the UK’s electricity is generated from renewables by 2030. This country needs real action, not the same old lip service we have seen from this Government for the last eight years."
11 December 2023
Leader of the Liberal Democrats
As the Leader of the Lib Dems, Sir Ed Davey is certainly leading the way for the party to tackle one of the greatest challenges of our time and is proud of the party's dedication to making Climate Change a top priority.
"The Liberal Democrats would ensure that the UK’s Net Zero commitments are at the forefront of any international trade agreement, alongside planting 60 million trees a year and working to restore our woodlands."
Having served as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change during the coalition and managed to push through an impressive Green agenda whilst he was in the Cabinet. During this time, Ed helped to quadruple the UK's renewable power whilst making us a world leader in offshore wind energy. During this time he was also a key part of establishing the EU's Green Growth Group.
This legacy has helped to bring the cost of renewable energy tumbling down over the years since then, along with the cost of energy bills, and helped to create numerous green jobs.
Ed is defending his seat of Kingston and Surbiton which he held first in 1997. He briefly lost the seat in 2015 to the Conservatives but regained it in 2017 and has held it since. He has emphasised the need to "decarbonise capitalism" and he has campaigned vigorously to ensure we keep fossil fuels in the ground. Getting businesses, pension funds and local authority capital investments divested from fossil fuels is a major priority for him.
Stop the Sewage
One of the leading threats to our natural environment that the Liberal Democrats have been highlighting and campaigning against has been the egregious and illegal dumping of untreated sewage waste into our precious public waterways. Waste has been dumped over one million times in the past 3 years.
Sewage dumping can lead to algal bloom, which kills wildlife and destroys and changes entire ecosystems. It kills valued species which enriches biodiversity and promotes the emergence of harmful bacteria and toxic algae. The sewage itself is a contaminant and this bio-hazard threatens human health; sewage dumping has led to 'sewage sickness' in the UK already.
Repeatedly the current Conservative government has allowed private companies to get away with this unlawful and disgraceful disposal with no repercussions and in fact, allowing them to grant themselves considerable bonuses of up to £30 million in some cases. And they want the taxpayer to pay for it.
“Water executives should be banned from paying themselves bonuses until sewage dumping stops.”
Ed Davey and the party are calling for. £2.2 million tax on private companies to clean up the contamination themselves.
Homes Fit For Future
In preparation for a net-zero country by 2045 significant action must be taken to strengthen our infrastructure. One of the major ways this can take effect is in our own homes. The Liberal Democrats have proposed a total retrofit of all UK homes, free for low-income households. There would also be generous tax incentives for other homes to equip them with proper insulation, including double-glazing and loft insulation.
These measures would decrease emissions, cut energy bills (by at least 25%) by reducing energy consumption and assist in ending fuel poverty. As well as helping to end our reliance on gas and future-proofing our homes!
For a Fair Deal
In an Interview with Green Alliance in 2021, Ed Davey made it clear that he wanted the Lib Dems to become the most ambitious and best party for environmental policy out of all of the parties in the country. He has advocated for a 'green economy' for over 10 years, been a fervent believer in making community energy a priority, forming citizen's assemblies and emphasising the need for greater regulation for minimum energy efficiency in the private renter's sector. His credentials are endless and his vision for the future of the party admirable and impressive.
Sir Ed Davey is a key figure for our Green Liberal Democrats team which can make environmental change happen in Parliament, so we'll be doing all we can to help get him re-elected. Will you join us?
Read more here:
https://www.libdems.org.uk/news/article/we-cant-afford-more-climate-failureshttps://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2021/november/the-deadly-effects-of-sewage-pollution-on-nature.html
https://www.libdems.org.uk/plan
https://chamberuk.com/liberal-democrats-making-environment-a-priority/
Listen to him here in an interview with Green Alliance (2021):
https://green-alliance.org.uk/podcast/interview-with-sir-ed-davey/