Liberal Democrat MEP candidate makes climate change top priority

• May. 31 by Lucas Coe (1)

Phil Bennion, a Liberal Democrat MEP candidate for the West Midlands, has put climate change at the top of his agenda for the up and coming European elections.

The West Midlands with the rest of the country will have the opportunity to vote for Members of European Parliament on June 4 – with all the main parties battling for green voters.

Labour, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have all placed preventing climate change and protecting the environment at the front of their European manifestos.

 But, Phil Bennion, has made his plans clear to see on his website:

‘My first priority as an MEP will be to ensure that all EU nation states move forward together in reducing emissions. I will fully engage with the international community in bringing forward a successor to Kyoto, which must include emerging economies such as India and China, as well as the United States.’

The Liberal Democrats believe that the European Union has done a lot of good work together on measures it has produced to prevent climate change, but insist the entire EU need to be on board for the measures to make a difference.

Bennion adds:

‘The EU has set out its targets in a number of new policies and directives, but they will have no effect if they are not implemented across the entire EU.’

Meanwhile the Conservatives’ MEP candidates will adhere to the policy outline in the Conservative’s online audio manifesto, where the priorities are explained as protecting the environment, supporting British farmers and fisherman, and raising animal welfare standards:

‘Conservatives have always supported and strengthened the European package on climate change, and resisted the argument that climate change should be watered in light of the economic downturn.’

Focus has also placed upon creating new environment based jobs during the recession, to make Britain more self-sustaining, which may be good news for the struggling manufacturing industry in the West Midlands.

The Labour MEP candidates, Michael Cashman and Neena Gill, have not been delegated to work directly on the environment in the European parliament, but their colleagues are covering similar areas described by the Conservatives, increasing green jobs and pushing for ambitious targets on reducing carbon emissions.