Candidates cast their votes for environment

devon.editorial@archant.co.uk
27 April 2005

AS May 5 draw near, the World Wildlife Fund has reminded candidates that an election debate is not the only thing that is warming up.

The global conservation organisation called on candidates from all parties to submit their vote on climate change with a pledge to tackle the threat by supporting the reduction of C02 emissions.

Showing their commitment to tackle the threat of climate change by casting their 'eco vote' into a specially constructed WWF ballot box at Barnstaple Civic Centre were Liberal Democrat candidate Nick Harvey, Green Party candidate Ricky Knight and John Browne, candidate for UKIP.

The Vote to Stop Climate Chaos Campaign has been designed specifically for the forthcoming election in order to press politicians into taking tougher action on climate change.

The WWF is urging the next government to commit to year on year reductions in carbon dioxide emissions in order to achieve the target of a 20 per cent reduction by 2010.

Sam Durham, WWF Regional Campaigns Officer said: "WWF believe environment issues need a higher profile at this election and we expect the new government to address issues such as climate change.

"These issues can have a drastic effect on the local environment - North Devon experienced a terrible flooding disaster 50 years ago and we don't want to see climate chaos leading to more freak weather events."

According to a WWF poll, more than 95 per cent of people in the South West support tougher action on British businesses to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

Two-thirds (67 per cent) of people surveyed by YouGov1 for WWF, also believed that business is to blame for climate change, while 63 per cent thought that industry was not doing enough to tackle the problem, and 73 per cent said that the US government should bear the most responsibility for climate change.

Lib-Dem candidate Nick Harvey said: "Climate change represents a bigger threat than international terrorism, asylum seekers or anything else for that matter.

"This is where the debate should be at and I applaud the WWF for pushing the issue up the election agenda.

"We need to commit to an investment in clean, safe and renewable energy."

UKIP candidate John Browne said that he fully supported the WWF and was good friends with several of the main fund-raisers in the United States.

Green Party candidate Ricky Knight said: "I have been supporting every initiative to combat global warming for the past 25 years - not just the past 25 days - and wholeheartedly support today's ballot box initiative."

Candidates pledged their eco votes outside the Civic Centre that had recently unveiled its own contribution to renewable energy by installing more than 300 solar panels on the roof and walls.

It is estimated that the electricity produced will provide about five per cent of the total required to run the Civic Centre, making it one of the first solar-powered buildings in the country.