Trust part of Green Standard challenge to political parties

Green Standard sets out 10 manifesto proposals for 2010 elections

The Woodland Trust is joining eight other leading UK environmental organisations including the Green Alliance, RSPB and Wildlife Trusts in publishing Common Cause: the Green Standard manifesto on climate change and the natural environment.

The document has 10 proposals, which the environmental NGOs are calling on all political parties to adopt as part of their General Election manifestos. These policies will support the Common Cause declaration, which states that climate change and restoring the natural environment need to be accorded the highest priority during the next Parliament.

Stephen Hale, director of Green Alliance, said on behalf of the groups:

"It's now or never. Support for the Common cause declaration will be the threshold for credibility at the next election on environmental issues. The commitment to decisive action must be endorsed by all parties. The real contest will be over specific policies, so we urge them to include our 10 manifesto asks for 2010 in their forthcoming manifestos."

The group believes that the restoration of our natural environment and the creation of new woods should be a priority in the next Parliament. The Woodland Trust's Head of Government Affairs Dr James Cooper explains:

"Trees and woods provide many benefits such as regulating climate, improving water quality, aiding soil conservation, storing carbon and adapting society to climate change. Woods also encourage exercise, improve physical health and reduce mental stresses."

However it is little known that the UK is one of the least wooded countries in Europe, with average woodland cover of only 12 per cent (only 5 per cent of which is native woodland) compared to the European figure of 44 per cent. In light of the positive impact woods and trees have on people’s quality of life the Green Standard is asking all the parties to commit to a doubling of woodland cover.

With the party conference season looming the Green Standard manifesto will highlight to politicians the need to address environmental challenges.

The 10 manifesto proposals put forward by the Green Alliance are as follows:

1. Put the UK on track to reduce UK greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% below 1990 levels by 2020, and 80% by 2050.
2. Ensure future energy and transport infrastructure is consistent with a rapid transition to a low-carbon economy by generating at least 15% of energy from appropriate renewable sources by 2020; introducing an immediate ban on new unabated or partially unabated coal plants and an end to airport expansion.
3. Commit to strong UK leadership at the highest levels in the EU and globally, to deliver EU energy and climate targets and to ensure global greenhouse gas emissions are falling by 2015.
4. Provide the UK's fair share of finance for adaptation, low-carbon development and to reduce deforestation in the developing world of at least $160 billion a year by 2012.
5. Commit to making significant progress towards restoring the natural environment by 2020, including the doubling of UK woodland cover, meeting other habitat targets and ensuring that protected sites are in good condition; through utilising reforms to agricultural incentives, planning policy and other measures to create high quality landscapes rich in nature and able to adapt to climate change.
6. Ensure that everyone has the opportunity to experience and enjoy nature by providing access to natural green space within walking distance of where they live.
7. Commit to reorienting the planning system so that sustainable development rather than simply economic development is at its heart, requiring all major development plans and planning applications to show how they will contribute to carbon reduction targets.
8. Dedicate all income generated by the emissios trading scheme after 2012 to tackling climate change in the UK and internationally.
9. Protect and increase Defra and DECC budgets and introduce significant new policies to stimulate private investment in the low-carbon economy and the natural environment.
10. Launch a nationwide housing retrofit programme by 2011, which will deliver improved energy efficiency and renewable energy systems across the UK.

Notes to editors

For media enquiries contact:

The Woodland Trust Press Office on 01476 581121, email: media@woodlandtrust.org.uk

The Woodland Trust:

The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity. It has 300,000 members and supporters.

The Trust has three key aims: i) to enable the creation of more native woods and places rich in trees ii) to protect native woods, trees and their wildlife for the future iii) to inspire everyone to enjoy and value woods and trees

Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,000 sites in its care covering approximately 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres). Access to its sites is free.

The organisations that are part of the Green Standard manifesto are: CPRE, Friends of the Earth, Green Alliance, Greenpeace, National Trust, RSPB, The Wildlife Trusts, Woodland Trust and WWF-UK.