Last night at City University election candidates from five parties in Islington & Finsbury South came together to answer questions about climate change. On the panel were Antonia Cox (Conservative), Bridget Fox (Liberal Democrats), Emily Thornberry (Labour), James Humphries (Green) and Richard Deboo (Animals Count).
The topics covered included promotion of vegatarism and sustainable diets, how to get people to reduce their personal carbon footprint and whether the candidates would go against party line when voting for policy and legislation. Some of the key points the candidates made included:
Antonia Cox (Conservative) talked about increasing the numbers of power points for electric cars in Islington and said her party were against airport expansion at Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted. When questioned about Boris Johnson's third runway proposals she suggested that the "Boris runway should stay in Boris world"!
Bridget Fox (Liberal Democrats) talked about her green credentials and how she was one of the founding members of the 10:10 campaign. She said that the Liberal Democrats had made a green economy central to their party's manifesto and would be investing heavily in green jobs. She also said she would eat her hat if anyone except her or Emily Thornberry won the seat. Maybe you think she should get munching?
Emily Thornberry (Labour) started off with a slightly surprising attack on the Green Party before moving on to talk a bit more sympathically about the impact of climate change in the developing world. She also described the UK as the Saudi Arabia of wind power and said her party would increase investment in wind by 40 times.
James Humphries (Green Party) seemed resigned to the fact he wouldn't win but said a vote for his party was still important. According to him these votes are noted by the three main parties as they increase and it sends a message to them to take climate change seriously. A vote for Greens, he claimed, was not a wasted vote.
Richard Deboo (Animals Count) talked about the impact of livestock farming on climate change, claiming it was one of the biggest contributors. He also described the West as having developing countries in 'fiscal blackmail'.
Were you at the night itself? What did you think about the response of the candidates? Leave a comment below and let us know.
And if you haven't had a chance to ask your climate question yet then there is till time. Other local events are taking place across the country. For more information visit the Ask the Climate Question website. Alternatively you can put your climate question to the three party leaders for Thursday's debate on Sky. Visit the Sky website for more details.
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