environment, energy and resources

8/6/2019 Environment, Energy and Resources

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Environment, Energy and ResourcesLiberals recognise the value of development in areas that do not damage the environment.We must have industry to improve the lot of impoverished people at both home andabroad, but we must remember that there is only so much oil, coal and other mineralresources and we must try to exercise strict controls over what we use and to whatpurposes we put them. There must be no more production for productions sake, no moreplanned obsolescence. We need a policy of producing what we need and that suchproducts should be as durable, repairable, and of as good a quality as is possible,designed with recycling and reduction of pollution during manufacture and disposal inmind. Liberals propose mandatory minimum guarantee periods of several years as a good

way of combating planned obsolescence.

Energy

The production and consumption of energy is a major polluter. Liberals were the first todraw attention to the problems of acid rain and global warming and call for:

1. the promotion of more economical use of energy in transport, power generation,house construction, the insulation of plant and buildings, and energy efficiencystandards in all new buildings. Transport in particular is a major energy consumerand energy conservation should be taken into account when planning all futureprojects such as motorways and new aircraft. Liberals believe that the need fortravel can be greatly reduced by more considered planning;

2. greater investment in research into the most economical and clean methods ofstoring and generating energy, particularly renewable sources such as barrageschemes, solar, wind and wave power. Liberals also find merit in combined heatand power systems and district heating schemes fuelled by the incineration of non-recyclable waste products;

3. full exploitation of current technology for the curbing of vehicle and power stationemissions and research into new technologies;

Government must take the lead and produce a national plan for all energy resources. It isfor this reason that we opposed the privatisation of the gas and electricity industries andfavour having the generation and supply industries under democratic control. We see gasand electricity as a coordinated whole with a vital role to play in energy conservation, notas competing companies.

We oppose the generation of electricity by nuclear fission due to the risks inherent in thedesign and function of such power stations and the problem of contamination of thesurrounding environment and disposal of nuclear waste. Liberals call for an end to the useof nuclear fission but support the continued research and development on nuclear fusion.


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Liberals are also concerned at the rate at which we are depleting other resources, such as

coal, oil, natural gas and non-fuel minerals, and the way these are shown as being part ofthe nations wealth production. We would seek a review all the nation's finite resources,with a view to a limit being put upon their rate of extraction and an increase in the tax ontheir use.

Water

Liberal foresee problems with the nation's water supply. Over the past few years, rainfallhas been below the long term average and, in order to meet a high growth in demand forwater, many authorities are increasingly resorting to hosepipe bans, restrictions on

irrigation for agriculture, and over-reliance on ground water drawn from rivers and frombore holes, with disastrous effects on the water table, tree root systems, soil and claystructure. A country with a temperate climate surrounded by water has no business to beshort of the stuff. We therefore:

1. welcome the recent programme by the water companies to reduce the proportion ofthe supply which is lost through leaks in the mains system;

2. propose an investment programme in reservoir, rain collection and regional gridsystems. A national grid feasibility study should be undertaken to investigatemethods whereby water might be transferred from areas where there is anexcessive supply to areas where there is a shortage;

3. propose a plan for a phased installation of desalination plants along our coastlineand a rapid reduction in the use of bore holes by water companies and others, all tobe policed by the National Rivers Authority.

Embodied in a Liberal plan for water would be a consumer policy to ensure that the supplyis pure and free of contamination. In particular, we would prohibit the addition of fluoride orany other substance to public water supplies for the purpose of affecting or influencingdirectly the development or function of any part of the human body, nervous system ormind.

Liberals oppose households having to bear the cost of the installation of water meters.


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Protecting the Environment

The safeguarding and enhancement of our environment is as vital to the future of thisplanet as is the prevention of global war. Liberals recognise that the planet's ecology is asmuch in the hands of men and women in local communities as it is in those of nationalgovernments. Britain can take a lead by putting its own house in order.

Liberals call for:

1. and end to all dumping of waste at sea;2. the creation of a Pollution Inspectorate with power to investigate actual and

potential causes of pollution, to order its reduction and to penalise institutionsresponsible;3. research into the use of raw materials, recycling and problems created by the

manufacture of indestructible synthetics and noxious substances;4. more money to be made available for recycling projects and legislation to ensure

that manufactured goods contain minimum percentages of recycled materials.

Liberals deplore the recent marketing of a self-cooling drink can which involves the ventingof refrigerant liquid into the air to chill the can's contents, thereby releasing a powerfulgreenhouse gas into the atmosphere. We believe that this represent yet anotherunwelcome development of the disposable packaging of foodstuffs which is costly in terms

of resource consumption, costly to dispose of, is environmentally unsound, and which pastgovernments have done nothing to curb. The Liberal Party calls for an investigation intothe packaging of foodstuffs with a view to the standardisation and promotion of reusablecontainers, and the eventual phasing out of much of todays disposable packaging.

In the countryside, copses, hedges and wildlife habitats must be preserved andcompulsory powers must be used to ensure the survival of meadow land, wetlands andnature reserves. Grants for the provision of new hedges and the restoration of meadowland that could viably support a grazing herd should be introduced, together with thedesignation of Landscape Areas to protect such places from the rigours of intensivefarming. We also recognise the benefits derived from planning controls in ensuring that our

environment is protected from exploitation by advertising signs and hoardings, and call forexisting laws to be developed to provide further protection for rural and urbanenvironments.

Liberals call for statutory protection rights at national level relating to societies such as TheNational Trust and English Heritage provided that these are not in conflict with theprinciples of freedom of movement, religious observance, or cultural interests. The on-going management and procurement of open spaces should be monitored by new GreenSpace Authorities, presided over by non-partisan Regional Directors. Proposals relating toopen spaces, particularly the selling off of school playing fields and other public landshould be presented to the residents within communities affected and their views given a

favourable hearing.


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It is inevitable that tourism will have a detrimental effect on the rural environment. To help

combat this, rural communities should be encouraged to be reliant on small industriesproviding for their needs, instead of being too dependent on tourism for economic security.

Dealing with waste

We recognise that there will be a continuing need for landfill sites but believe that theseshould never be the major means of waste disposal. Every opportunity should be taken toconvert waste material to other uses by recycling, composting and energy recovery. Inparticular we would welcome a nation-wide programme for the construction of small scale(under 60,000 tonnes capacity) non-polluting incineration plants to reduce the haulage

distances for waste materials, reduce the need for landfill and to provide the capacity forenergy generation.

Product Labelling

Liberals believe that we have a right to information about products offered to us. As well ascomprehensive ingredients labelling, Liberals would like to see product labels showing thecountry of origin of the product and whether any ingredients are the result of geneticengineering.

For cosmetic, household, garden and medicinal/remedy products, labels should clearly

show whether the product or its ingredients have been tested on animals by or for themanufacturers, or by or for other parts of the same company or corporation. We wouldsupport a universal labelling scheme to this effect.

We would also support a scheme to identify the environmental impact of every product'smanufacture, use and disposal. We believe that such schemes are necessary in order toprovide people with informed choices about what they buy, and because companies ownlabelling is often confusing or misleading (eg: a company can label a product not testedon animals although the ingredients within the product have been tested, and companieswho declare that they do not test on animals may be contracting these tests out to othercompanies.)


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Global Responsibility

In common with other developed countries, Britain is profligate in the use of resources andit will be difficult to persuade developing countries to be responsible until we have put ourown house in order.

Globally, Liberals recognise that international co-operation is required to safeguard theplanet and avoid ecological disaster. We recognise the potential role of the United Nationsis developing and co-ordinating action. Liberals urge the establishment of a task force forthe preparation of a UN Covenant on Environment and Development.

Liberals call for international law to recognise ecocide as an offence against humanitycomparable with genocide. We look for minimum standards of environmental rights andobligations, increased awareness of the impact of natural calamities and increasedresearch, education and communication in all parts of the world. Sustainable developmentmust take into account local knowledge, indigenous viewpoints and the participation oflocal peoples. Action on the environment requires freedom of access to information and anadequate system of addressing complaints and grievances.

Liberals recognise the role of the developed world in creating many of the problems facedin the third world. In particular, the indebtedness of may third world countries militatesagainst sustainable and environmentally friendly development. Liberals therefore call for

the removal of third world indebtedness initially by the retrospective cancellation of all debtwhich should have been met by adequate levels of aid related to the proper distribution ofthe worlds resources.

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