Record of Policy Statements

The Record of Policy Statements, or RoPS, includes motions passed by Conference or agreed by the Regional Council between conferences, which do not amend or overrule the substantial Policies for a Sustainable Society (PSS) but which are a short term response to immediate or transitory situations.

You can find the detail on all of our specific policies within each of the Policy Chapters on the right hand side of this page.

Policy statements are often passed as Emergency Motions at conference and tend to reflect the immediate political climate. Any statement more than a year old is likely to have been superseded by events, although in some cases they enshrine principles which persist.

Policy statements can never over-rule the PSS or the Philosophical Basis of the Party. RoPS are referenced by a number which indicates the year and order in which they were introduced. If they were introduced as an emergency motion then they are prefixed with an 'E'. If they clearly relate to a single chapter of PSS then they are prefixed with the chapter code, otherwise they are prefixed with 'PS'.

Selected Policy Statements will appear here as the policy section of our website is built up.

Green New Deal

Conference:

Reaffirms its support for the Green Party’s central role in defining and advancing a Green New Deal in the UK;

Welcomes the emerging support for the Green New Deal among social movements, organisations and other political parties in the UK, and further efforts from these groups to contribute to the policy programme and its uptake, including on a cross-party basis;

Calls for vigilance to ensure that the necessarily radical and comprehensive character of the Green New Deal is maintained, in particular by:

emphasising the need for structural transformation in the way the economy is managed;



emphasising the urgency of aggregate emissions reductions;



targeting investment to the people and regions most vulnerable to transition, most impacted by ongoing environmental breakdown and least to blame for the crisis;



embedding the empowerment of communities, workers and citizens;



protecting and repairing nature, by design;



centring global equity by mobilising finance and the transfer of technology, ending the cycle of extractivism and refusing to shift problems elsewhere;

Notes the potential for the Green New Deal to be a core and unifying tenet of any early General Election campaign, and that whether or not the UK has left the EU, pan-European collaboration underpinned by the programme’s resolute internationalism can reflect Europe’s great historic responsibilities;

Encourages local and regional parties to work together with manifesto and policy working groups, within the framework of the party’s ambitious spending plans, to articulate a localised vision of the Green New Deal, including specific infrastructure projects (both new and transitional).

October 2019

Climate Emergency

Conference recognises that there is a Climate Emergency and that drastic and immediate action needs to be taken if we are to halt the impending climate catastrophe.

To meet this challenge, we hereby:

Encourage local Green Parties to work with such groups to widen awareness of the seriousness of climate change and to promote the adoption of Climate Emergency motions by local governments and all other relevant organisations in their areas.

Mandate the Climate Emergency Policy Working Group (CEPWG) to conduct a gap analysis of the PSS since some of our existing policies do not meet the needs of the Climate Emergency. This gap analysis will be reported at plenary in the next Conference.

Mandate all relevant Policy Working Groups work with the CEPWG to develop policies to close those gaps by next conference.

Instruct GPEx to provide these PWGs with the necessary support including half an officer day a week to work with PWGs to help close our policy gap with the Climate Emergency.

Note that these policy changes are urgent and in keeping with the Climate Emergency instructs SOC to automatically prioritise such "Climate Emergency" motions.

June 2019

Representation of Future Generations

Conference:

notes GPRC's adoption of the Climate Change Policy WG's paper on the Representation of Future Generations and its submission to the Talanoa Dialogue of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

welcomes the UNFCCC’s description of ways of considering the voices of future generations as “promising high-potential solutions” applicable to a variety of issues.

urges party members to use these ideas when addressing climate change and the wider planetary crisis.

Brexit, a People’s Vote and Article 50

A. Conference is committed to genuine deliberative democracy and acknowledges the outcome of the referendum in June 2016 but notes that since then and since GPEW’s October 2016 policy statement (1) on it:

a great deal of new information has emerged that was not apparent to referendum voters and not highlighted in the referendum campaigns; key campaign promises have been broken or proved undeliverable; the UK government has shown itself incapable of delivering anything other than chaos and harm; Brexit is being used as an excuse to erode fundamental human, environmental and democratic rights.

B. Conference further notes

the unresolvable contradictions that have emerged since 2016 and are contained in all forms of Brexit being pursued by the government and official opposition, the most obvious of which affect the border on the island of Ireland and the border between Gibraltar and Spain; that the people likely to experience the greatest detriment include those most economically and socially disadvantaged, the regions that can least afford Brexit’s impact on jobs and the economy, and women; the risk, whether intended or not, that the government’s inability to agree a form of Brexit acceptable to itself, Parliament and the EU27 may result in the hardest, most damaging ‘no deal’ Brexit.

C. Conference believes that the UK public – whether they backed Leave or Remain two years ago – did not vote for a bad Brexit and that, in the light of what we now know, the UK is therefore better off remaining a member state of the European Union.

D. Conference agrees that:

GPEW will support and campaign for a new #PeoplesVote referendum

a) to be held before the UK irrevocably commits to a particular form of Brexit, whatever the nature of any deal (or no deal) between the UK and the EU,

b) to include an option for the UK to remain a member state of the EU; until such a referendum provides a clear majority result, GPEW opposes Brexit and will campaign for the UK remaining a member of the EU; while it seems likely that Brexit is to go ahead on 29 March 2019 without a prior referendum, GPEW supports and will argue for an extension to Article 50, so as to provide time for proper democratic process. GPEW hereby restates its belief that our future is best served by staying as close as possible to the European Union while seeking improvements where we have long been critical of EU policy, especially in the area of farm support. GPEW commits itself to tackling the underlying issues of inequality and marginalisation experienced by many who voted Leave, including the undermining and privatisation of public services. GPEW fully supports the Electoral Commission and its findings in relation to the referendum campaigning, as being of fundamental importance to our democracy and the rule of law. the contents of this motion supersede the “Emergency Brexit policy statement” approved by GPRC on 18 October 2016.

(1) https://policy.greenparty.org.uk/record-of-policy-statements.html

Democratic and sustainable Trade Deals

Insert into Record of Policy Statements

This conference calls for all future trade deals to be democratic, socially just, and to safeguard the environment, regardless of whether Brexit happens or not.

By this, we mean that:

Parliamentary democracy must be respected – that parliament should be adequately informed about negotiations, be consulted, and be allowed to discuss and vote on whatever deal is proposed. Groups representing all sections of civil society should be consulted, in proportion to consultation with industry. In particular, trade negotiations should follow the principles of the Trade Justice Movement. All trade deals should be in line with the stance of Green Party Group in the European Parliament, where a statement has been made on the deal in question. Future trade deals should support/facilitate a fair distribution of wealth and support local economies. For example by guaranteeing Protected Geographical Indicators. The rights of all levels of government to regulate in the public interest and in the interest of the environment must be guaranteed. All public services should be excluded from such trade deals, even if they are not services exclusively in service of government authority. The global financial crisis of 2008 was precipitated by financial deregulation. Therefore financial deregulation must be excluded from such trade deals. Labour rights, human rights, digital rights and the environment are to be protected. Mechanisms should be established, to uphold these rights and enforce sustainability. The primacy of the precautionary principle must be maintained over the scientific principle in assessing acceptability of industrial processes. Any lowering of standards regarding food, manufactured chemicals and animal rights (as sentient beings) should not be allowed. The legal primacy of climate change commitments must be maintained /must prevail over energy liberalisation commitments and investors’ rights. This is absolutely paramount. Parallel judicial systems which favour transnational investors over domestic investors, such as Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS), Investor Court System (ICS) or Multilateral Investment Court , should not be included in future trade deals.

CETA, TTIP and any other trade deals which fail to comply with the above should be rejected.

EM1 The Truth About Zane

In order to broaden the scope of the Green Party’s interaction with the new Truth About Zane Campaign committee, to be funded and facilitated by the PCS Union, we are asking Conference to support North Surrey Green Party’s participation in this committee with the weight of the National Party.

And for Conference to support the Committee’s initial core objectives:

A full, independent, panel-led inquiry into the death of seven year old Zane Gbangbola.

Ensure that all historic landfill sites have been identified and mapped against flood plains.

Prioritise tried and tested flood protection methods in both residential and landfill areas, such as river dredging and river bank protection.

Ensure that our public bodies such as the Environment Agency, local authorities and Department of Environment are privy to learning from problematic projects, such as the River Thames Jubilee flood diversion channel. This knowledge is a matter of public safety and must be made publicly available to inform future projects.

Update local authorities, Emergency Services, the public, developers and local flood resilience teams regularly on the position of landfills liable to flood.

Animal welfare in public procurement

The Green Party believe that policy making around animals should be designed to protect them against cruelty. We don’t think it’s right to exploit the other species we share this planet with and are prepared to take on the vested interests that fuel animal cruelty.

We would support the initiative to ensure legislation on public procurement of explicit requirements to purchase higher-welfare animal products. We also separately encourage vegetarian and vegan menu options in all public sector establishments in order to reduce demand for animal products.

Agreed by GPRC September 2018

Support for Solar

The below is a letter to the Minister for Energy and Clean Growth to which Caroline Lucas wanted to put her name as co-leader of the party, rather than as an MP. Therefore it is considered a policy statement of the Green Party of England and Wales.

Dear Minister

Following the Government's proposal to close the Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) for all new solar installations we ask you to confirm at the earliest opportunity that the fair payment for surplus electricity exported to the grid will continue to be available to new solar homes, small businesses & community energy projects in its current form.

This certainty is needed as a matter of urgency to safeguard the confidence of everyday investors in solar and related 'smart' technologies, and of the UK solar industry. The Environmental Audit Committee has recently warned about the 'alarming collapse' in clean energy investment since 2016 & the lack of new enabling policies. Removing the fair export for solar power risks compounding this, with further loss of skills & cost efficiencies in the rooftop solar industry.

Naturally we welcome your Department's commitment to a smart energy system and we share your vision of developing competitive markets into which smart homes, businesses, farmers & communities will be able to offer their services. However, whilst the technology is ready, very complex regulatory issues (for example in relation to export metering & new market creation) must first be resolved before there is a viable route-to-market for domestic households and a fair reward for their offer. Substantial work is underway across the industry to overcome the many issues, but the timetables involved mean that there will be a gap, most likely of several years, before their resolution. Meanwhile your FIT consultation proposes removal of the export tariff in just eight months time.

If the export tariff is removed next April, householders & SMEs investing in solar & smart technologies will encounter very nascent markets that currently lack regulatory foundations. They would therefore potentially have to spill their power onto the grid for free, effectively subsidising the commercial electricity sector. Domestic households, communities, farmers & small businesses with solar would be the only generators not paid for their exported power. We hope you agree that this wouldn't be acceptable. Such negative treatment will stifle the market, put off early adopters and give the wrong signals about grid interaction to consumers, thus slowing down UK progress towards a smart and flexible energy system.

Instead, we urge you to ensure pioneering citizens have a positive experience of interaction with the grid so that public trust in a smart energy pathway can be firmly fostered. We would therefore also welcome;

an interim incentive from next April for metered settlement from smart homes & SMEs with the ability to offer flexibility services, in anticipation of new flexibility markets and modernised regulation to come. This should ensure local capacity is developed for wider system evolution towards a smarter grid while industry works to resolve the barriers, some of which are costly.

removal of current policy barriers that could discourage over 800,000 existing solar homes from installing battery storage & smart meters.

The rights of 'prosumers' will shortly be enshrined in new European law, requiring Member States to ensure that self-generators are fairly remunerated for their surplus power. This provides a baseline of fair treatment for consumers so they can invest with confidence and around which market innovation can blossom. If that were to happen across the rest of Europe, but not here, then Britain risks quickly losing its position as market leader in smart power, along with all the associated economic benefits and export opportunities.

We urge you to safeguard the rights of UK prosumers and to confirm the secure continuation of the export tariff as soon as possible. We also urge you to positively support the growth of smart homes, businesses & communities across the UK.

Agreed by GPRC September 2018

Letter to Penny Mordaunt re Women's Suffage Centenary Action Group

The below is a letter to the Minister for Women and Equalities, Penny Mordaunt, from the Women's Suffrage Centenary Action Group. The Green Party's Regional Council endorsed this letter, and therefore this is considered a policy statement of the Green Party of England and Wales.

Dear Minister,

Re: Building a lasting legacy to the UK Women's Suffrage Centenary for women's rights across the world

Congratulations from the Centenary Action Group on your appointment to Minister for Women and Equalities. This role alongside your responsibility as Secretary of State for International Development represents a unique opportunity to progress the rights of women and girls in the UK and worldwide.

As one of the UK's largest coalitions of women's rights activists and organisations, the Centenary Action Group represents both sides of your portfolio and a global feminist voice. We are a new cross-party campaigning coalition convened by Helen Pankhurst to build a lasting legacy for the 2018 centenary of the first women's votes in the UK. We have over 100 members and represent activists, cross party politicians (from both Houses) and women's rights organisations from across the political spectrum, with a combined Twitter following of over (to add) and an extensive reach through our memberships of over (to add).

We are writing to ask you to meet with representatives of the group and discuss our shared priorities which you have a record in supporting, including: greater women's political participation and leadership, especially in local and national politics; an end to the violence, harassment and abuse of women, and targeted efforts to address economic inequalities that prevent women engaging in politics and decision-making.

Together, we have already achieved so much. On 6 February at 8pm, the exact moment the first women gained the right to vote 100 years ago, we reached over 9 million people to ask why they are #StillMarching in 2018. #StillMarching was used by the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. In March, we demonstrated our collective force at March4Women, calling for global gender equality and an end to harassment and violence at work. In June, we again took to the streets and galvanised women and women's organisations from across the four nations to take part in Processions, celebrating how far we have come, whilst acknowledging how far we still have to go. And we do have far to go.

As you know, in this centenary year of the first women gaining the vote, only 32% of MPs and 33% of local councillors in the UK are women. Globally, fewer than 23% of parliamentarians are women. We can and we must do better. That is why in July, we launched our campaign to support and encourage the Government to enact Section 106 of the Equality Act 2010, gaining cross-party support from MPs and significant media coverage.

This year's suffrage centenary celebrations must not be a flash in the pan, but the start of a decade of action until the anniversary of full suffrage in 2028. We are keen to work with you to achieve this. In March you said, "without women's rights, there are no human rights". We could not agree more, and we would like to invite you to meet with Centenary Action Group members to discuss how we can build on our successes so far and work together to ensure that women everywhere have the right to participate in the decisions that affect their lives.

We look forward to working with you and liaising with your office to arrange a suitable date.

Yours sincerely

Agreed by GPRC July 2018

Climate Change Damages Declaration

The Green Party supports the Climate Change Damages Declaration calling for:

The establishment of an initiative for loss and damage finance with a two year work plan identifying sources of revenue adequate to the scale of the problem in a predictable and fair way;

the introduction of an equitable fossil fuel extraction charge – or Climate Damages Tax – levied on producers of oil, gas and coal to pay for the damage and costs caused by climate change when these products are burnt, implemented nationally, regionally or internationally

the use of the substantial revenues raised to be allocated through the appropriate UN body, such as the Green Climate Fund or similar financial mechanism, for the alleviation and avoidance of the suffering caused by severe impacts of climate change in developing countries, including those communities forced from their homes

the urgent replacement of fossil fuels, by mid-century at the latest, with renewable sources of energy assisted by increasing the rate of the Climate Damages Tax over time.

Agreed by GPRC July 2018

Good Systems Agreement between members of the Make VOtes Matter Alliance

The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW) is a member of the Make Votes Matter Alliance, working with other parties, organisations and individuals to bring in a system of Proportional Representation for the House of Commons. By coming to cross-party consensus about what good voting systems look like, the Alliance will be in a stronger position to work together to achieve this goal.

The Make Votes Matter Alliance has pooled collective knowledge and carried out extensive research to agree the following principles which are required of ‘good’ voting systems. We have drawn on the work of official expert panels and consultations from around the world, a wide range of academic literature and a wealth of knowledge from other expert sources.

The overriding objective is to ensure that the seats won in Parliament are in proportion to the votes cast.

This agreement is not intended to alter allies’ existing system preferences, but to seek broad consensus about the key principles that any voting system considered for UK general elections must meet.

As such, GPEW confirms its support for voting systems that meet the following principles:

Principles of good voting systems for general elections:

Proportionality : good systems ensure that seats closely match votes, with parliamentary representation at least as proportional as the Scottish Parliament.

: good systems ensure that seats closely match votes, with parliamentary representation at least as proportional as the Scottish Parliament. Representation : good systems ensure MPs and governments represent the views of the voters.

: good systems ensure MPs and governments represent the views of the voters. Equal votes : good systems ensure the value of individual votes is not distorted by factors such as geography, and minimise the need for tactical voting.

: good systems ensure the value of individual votes is not distorted by factors such as geography, and minimise the need for tactical voting. Local links: good systems maintain links between MPs and specific geographic areas.

good systems maintain links between MPs and specific geographic areas. Diversity :good systems encourage the election of parliaments reflecting the population.

:good systems encourage the election of parliaments reflecting the population. Voter choice : good systems allow voters a wide choice of parties, and allow voters to express preferences for people rather than just parties. Any lists used must be democratically determined.

: good systems allow voters a wide choice of parties, and allow voters to express preferences for people rather than just parties. Any lists used must be democratically determined. Accountability : good systems ensure MPs and governments are accountable to the voters.

: good systems ensure MPs and governments are accountable to the voters. Balance of stability and flexibility : good systems engender stable, flexible government that has the ability to compromise.

: good systems engender stable, flexible government that has the ability to compromise. Sustainability and adaptability: good systems are able to respond and adapt to changing needs without requiring frequent or fundamental change.

good systems are able to respond and adapt to changing needs without requiring frequent or fundamental change. Voting simplicity: good systems and ballot papers are easy for voters to understand and use.

Approved by GPRC June 2018



Green Jobs Alliance Statement

Greener Jobs Alliance Joint Statement on Just Transition in the UK

Early supporters of this statement include Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, Greener Jobs Allia nce, People & Planet,,PCS,NUS ,National Education Union

It's time for a Just Transition in the UK, moving to a modern low carbon economy in such a way as to protect workers' livelihoods, create new industries and deliver a fairer society in all regions and devolved nations. The need for action to support the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Climate Change Agreement to keep global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees, is urgent if we are to avert the environmental and economic costs of climate change.

We share a concern that the Government's Industrial and Clean Growth strategies fail to reference the need for a Just Transition. This embodies the principles of consultation between all sections of society; investment in skills and jobs; the creation of decent work; and social protection for individuals and communities, particularly those reliant on fossil fuels. It is necessary to confront the danger facing our industries and power system as employment in traditional sectors declines. Workers, if losing their job in these sectors, should be able to retrain and redeploy to a new job on equivalent terms and conditions, covered by collective agreements, and fully supported in their housing and income needs through transition.

Government must take a decisive lead with plans to transform key sectors, through publicly and community owned energy supply, transport infrastructure, investing in energy efficiency and sustainable heating in our homes and in industry. The speed and scale of Government action must be increased, as advised by the Committee on Climate Change. Where necessary to secure change at sufficient pace and scale, options for public and community ownership or partial stakes in flagship energy projects and enterprises should be pursued.

Employment and social benefits for communities most affected by industrial change should be secured through local investment in new jobs and skills, the creation of local supply chains, and 'community benefit' clauses in public contracts and local ownership. The principles of social justice and equity must be adopted to ensure no-one is left behind in the transition to economic and environmental sustainability.

Meanwhile, internationally, the government should support the strengthening of workers' rights and environmental standards in the global supply chains for low carbon industries, such as solar panel and battery production.

We believe that all key stakeholders should be represented on consultation and implementation bodies linked to the industrial, skills and climate change strategies. This should include proposed industrial and sector bodies at national, regional and local levels

We therefore call on the UK government to:

i) incorporate Just Transition principles within the UK's commitments to implement the Paris Agreement, including the UK's Industrial and Clean Growth strategies.

ii) legislate for the right to appoint workplace environment representatives to help ensure workers' views are fairly represented at local level. At company and sector level unions need the right to a voice in the economic restructuring decisions that will take place.

iii) establish a Just Transition Commission to develop a shared understanding of the challenges and opportunities ahead, along the lines of the welcome initiative of the Scottish Government to establish such a body.

Approved by GPRC June 2018

Press statement for Welsh Referendum

The Green Party is a fierce champion of democracy and self-determination, in the public arena and our own party, and we welcome therefore the decision to consult members who live in Wales on their future party status, just as we support the right of the people of Wales to determine their own future.

Approved by GPRC June 2018

Greens reject Labour affiliation

Conference notes calls by journalists such as Owen Jones for the Green Party to affiliate with the Labour Party.

Conference further notes that:

Greens have won many concessions from Labour administrations that could not have happened from within Labour,

Local authorities need effective opposition and affiliation would leave many without effective opposition,

Elected Greens are often the only viable opposition to Conservative administrations,

Labour's policies and actions on HS2, nuclear weapons and power, airport expansion, homelessness, libraries, estate demolition, the scapegoating of immigrants, tree felling, and more are not compatible with Green values,

Labour does not support Proportional Representation, which is a high political priority for the Greens,

Greens do not believe large broad coalition parties give voters enough choice nor that they produce effective government and are therefore not conductive to a good democracy,

Labour's internal democracy is woeful and not compatible with our members' expectations of democratic policy making,

The whipping system employed by Labour is not conductive to cooperative policy making and is not compatible with expectations of elected Greens,

Labour does not support the Green policy of a ratification referendum on the terms of any Brexit deal,

The Cooperative Party has not been able to present its own unique identity whilst affiliated to Labour, and has therefore had less influence over Labour than the Greens,

and therefore rejects affiliation to Labour. Conference calls for Labour to implement Proportional Representation for elections to Westminster as the basis for further cooperation between our two, separate and distinct, parties.

Passed Spring 2018

Oppose Stonehenge Tunnel Plan

This Conference notes that the plan by the government and Highways England to build a new dual carriageway road and 2.9km tunnel within the Stonehenge World Heritage Site has been unanimously condemned by all the leading British archaeologists and by UNESCO, because it would cause serious and irreparable damage to the World Heritage Site. We also note that the historical evidence of other road building schemes shows that they do not solve problems of traffic congestion, but rather shift that congestion from one place to another while encouraging further traffic growth overall, and that any increase in road traffic is directly contrary to the overwhelming imperative of reducing the emissions which are driving climate change. In this context, we need to conserve our future as well as our past.

We therefore strongly urge the government to abandon the present tunnel plan, and to seriously examine all other options to improve transport links in the area whilst avoiding any further damage to the Stonehenge World Heritage Site. This examination should not be limited to alternative road routes, but should include more environmentally sustainable options for infrastructure investment such as improving the capacity of the London to Exeter rail line to carry more freight in order to relieve pressure on the A303.

Passed Autumn 2017

Reducing Plastic Waste

Conference notes that the Ellen MacArthur Foundation has calculated that the weight of plastics in the ocean is likely to exceed that of fish by 2050, and that there's been recent campaigns and some limited action on microbeads, plastic cotton bud sticks, single-use beverage cups and drink bottles and drinking straws, but that far more needs to be done.

It calls on the national executive to campaign to reduce and end the environmental damage done by unnecessary single use plastics, both these products and others, and for our elected representatives to take what action they can to this end.

Passed Autumn 2017

Solidarity with Leeds UCU

Conference supports the Leeds University and Colleges Union (UCU) in their strike action on the 11th-13th October and calls on the Trade Union Liaison Officer on GPEx to send a message of support for their continued fight against changes by management.

Leeds University UCU voted for three days of strike action and to ask the national union to trigger the process of censure, then academic boycott of the University of Leeds. This is crucial in protecting academic freedom and the rights of workers, many of which are party members.

If you can please donate to their strike fund.

Passed Autumn 2017

Tyne & Wear Metro Rolling Stock Replacement

Conference calls on the Prime Minister and her government to:-

1: Support with a full government grant the urgent replacement of the Tyne & Wear Metro's present rolling stock.

2: That no PFI be attached to the funding for the urgent replacement of this rolling stock.

3: Ensure that the T&W Metro remains in community ownership and not have a privatization forced upon it.

4: Recognise that local public transport systems, such as the T&W Metro, powered by electricity, are vital to the future development of clean cities, and to prioritise grants for the ongoing refurbishment of both existing and proposed new electrically powered public transport systems.

This conference empowers the North East England Regional Council to inform the Government and local interest groups of the acceptance of this motion.

Passed Autumn 2017

Nobel Peace Prize and nuclear weapons

Conference applauds the decision of the Nobel Peace Prize committee to make its 2017 award to International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear weapons. It notes that 122 states have supported the treaty to ban nuclear weapons, following on the model of bans on biological and chemical weapons.

Conference deplores Britain's boycotting of the talks for the treaty and calls on the British government to join these talks as a matter of urgency, as the only way to ensure future security from the threat of the use of these hideous weapons of mass destruction.

Further, conference notes that Britain is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, but is failing to live up to its obligations under that to work to rid the world of nuclear weapons. With the replacement of Trident now beginning, this is an ideal time for Britain to take the global lead in not replacing its nuclear weapons.

It acknowledges that some communities are heavily economically dependent on jobs from our nuclear weapons programme, and acknowledges that they need assistance to convert to useful, safe industries, so backs the proposal for a Defence Diversification Agency to work on an arms conversion strategy.

Passed Autumn 2017

The UK needs an Environmental Protection Act

Many of the UK’s environmental protections derive from EU legislation and leaving the EU will jeopardise these protections. Earlier this week Theresa May triggered article 50 beginning the process of the UK leaving the EU. Today the government set out plans for a Great Repeal Bill which seeks to enshrine all existing EU legislation into UK law, where appropriate. These measures are not enough to preserve existing environmental protections or the right to environmental justice. Defra has noted that at least one third of EU environmental legislation will be difficult to transpose into UK law. In the years ahead we must ensure that leaving the European Union does not result in weaker environmental protections for the UK.

Conference instructs the campaigns team and elected representatives (where possible) to campaign for a new Environmental Protection Act which both safeguards and extends our environmental protections and the right to environmental justice.

Passed Spring 2017

Stop HS2

Given CH2M have withdrawn their contract bid and there have been a number of high level resignations in HS2, Conference calls on the campaigns team and (where possible) elected representatives to re-double campaigning and to unite campaigning of affected local parties in particular to halt HS2 and wanton destruction of precious habitat and biodiversity that it poses.

Passed Spring 2017

NHS - Accountable Care

With the publication of "Next Steps of the NHS Five Year Forward View" on 31st March by NHS England, conference:

1. Condemns government for failing to fund properly the NHS and failing to ensure there are enough staff being trained.

2. Calls on Campaigns Committee to continue campaigning for proper funding for the NHS rather than continuing with the present plan for 20% cuts.

3. Calls on government at all levels to properly engage with the public and health professionals to develop plans rather than simply forcing change.

Passed Spring 2017

Great Repeal Bill

Following the Great Repeal Bill announcement of 30 March 2017 GPEW states its belief that as the UK government has chosen its course of wholesale withdrawal from so many EU bodies it is the Government’s responsibility to introduce complete legislation to achieve its aim for due scrutiny and agreement by Parliament. GPEW rejects the Government’s proposals for sweeping new powers of secondary legislation and so-called Henry VIII clauses as fundamentally undemocratic and an attempt to sidestep parliamentarysovereignty. GPEW resolves and asks its leaders and spokespeople to condemn these proposals publicly, to challenge the proposals and to fight against them at every opportunity.

Passed Spring 2017

Defending Democracy

Following the decision of the Electoral Commission on 16 March 2017, which confirmed the rumours about election expense irregularities in the 2015 general election, this conference now urges the Green Party leadership as a matter of some urgency to initiate talks with opposition parties and radical organisations such as the People’s Assembly to defend democracy by organising a national campaign to demand by-elections in all constituencies where, according to the Electoral Commission these irregularities gave material advantages over other candidates.

Passed Spring 2017

Client Earth's Call for a New Clean Air Act

The Green Party strongly supports Client Earth’s call for a new Clean Air Act which would:

- tackle sources of diesel;

- safeguard legal protection which could be lost in the event the UK leaves the EU;

- improve EU and UK law to enshrine the right to breathe clean air.



Further to Client Earth’s call for smog warnings during high pollution episodes: warnings should emphasise action to curb traffic rather than people’s everyday activities - the right of people to breathe clean air is paramount.



Following text quoted from ClientEarth:



"ClientEarth’s proposals for a Clean Air Act would:



- Retain the objectives under the EU Ambient Air Quality Directive as a minimum safeguard on human health;

- Adopt revised objectives based on World Health Organisation guidelines;

- Guarantee the public the right to access the courts to enforce its provisions, in accordance with the Aarhus Convention. The procedure must be fast, affordable, allow for substantive review of air quality plans and policies and provide effective judicial remedies, including fines.

- Consolidate the complex and disparate body of domestic, EU and international air pollution laws into one coherent and effective piece of legislation;

- Clarify the roles and responsibilities of national government, local authorities, the Mayor of London and the devolved administrations;

- Lay down a national framework for effective Clean Air Zones which phase out diesel and accelerate the shift to zero emission transport;

- Implement the UK’s pollution reduction targets for 2020 and 2030 under the Gothenburg Protocol and the newly agreed EU NEC Directive, in order to tackle trans-boundary air pollution;

- Ensure coherence with other relevant policies and legislation, particularly the Climate Change Act and planning guidance;

- Require national, local and city authorities to collect adequate information on air pollution – including data from a minimum number of air quality monitoring stations – and proactively provide the public with that information, including through smog warnings during high pollution episodes; and

- Require national, local and city authorities to take measures to reduce exposure to air pollution – particularly for vulnerable groups such as children, older people and those suffering from pre-existing health conditions."



Passed Spring 2017

Citizens' Income, Benefit Sanctions, Workfare, and the Living Wage

a) The GPEW expresses support for the TUC’s 2016 Welfare Charter which demands an end to the benefit sanctions regime, an end to Work Capacity Assessments, an end to compulsory work for-benefit-programmes (workfare), together with a high legal minimum wage, and ‘a non-means tested, non-discriminatory benefit payable to all, with housing costs met, allied with extensive provision of low-cost housing’.



b) The GPEW applauds the statement in the National Welfare Charter brochure promoted by UNITE Community, London Unemployed Strategies and the Unemployed Combine in 2015 which says; ‘We must explore ways of growing the numbers of people who support the principle of a minimum Citizens Income for all.’



c) The GPEW welcomes the intentions of motion C13 – 68/69 passed at the TUC in 2016, proposed by UNITE and seconded by USDAW, which opposed benefits cuts, sanctions and the system of Universal Credit and stated:-



Congress believes that the TUC should acknowledge Universal Basic Income and

argue for a progressive system that would be easier to administer, easier for people

to navigate, paid individually and that is complementary to comprehensive public

services and childcare provision.



The transition from our current system to any new system that incorporates these

principles should always leave people with lower incomes better off.’



d) The GPEW encourages local parties to:-

i) work with campaigns run by UNITE and other trade unions to challenge benefit sanctions;

ii) promote understanding and appreciation of the idea of Citizen’s Income amongst our membership and the general public by working with trade unions and with campaigns or think tanks that have put forward Citizen’s Income proposals, like the Citizens’ Income Trust, Royal Society of Arts, and Compass, and drawing attention to their web sites and literature.

e) The GPEW’s living wage target, currently £10 per hour by 2020, should be uprated annually by the same percentage as the Living Wage calculated by the Living Wage Foundation (LWF).



f) The GPEW recognises the importance of the Living Wage as a long term policy which should be in place as long as it is necessary to supplement the important role of collective bargaining and to reduce the risk of employers keeping wages low in the knowledge that their employees would depend partly on state funds. We also recognise that a high legal Living Wage could enhance one ecologically important effect of a CI, that is the effect of encouraging a voluntary movement towards shorter working hours; the higher the hourly wage level, the fewer hours people need to work to achieve their desired income level, so that work-sharing through a shorter working week reduces the political pressure to ensure more jobs through resource-using economic growth.



g) The GPEW, however, recognises the urgent need for greater public funding to sustain adequate wage levels in socially important sectors which are under pressure from austerity budgets, such as social care work, cleaning in public sector buildings and various community services provided by the voluntary sector.

Passed Spring 2017

Frequent Flier Levy

The Green Party would replace the Air Passenger Duty (APD) with a Frequent Flyer Levy (FFL), which would vary depending on the number of previous flights taken by an individual. The Frequent Flyer Levy would be zero for an individual’s first outbound flight in each year and increase continually for each subsequent outbound flight.

Approved by GPRC 16 October 2016

Emergency Brexit policy statement

While the Green Party deplores the Conservatives' irresponsible behaviour in calling a referendum without proper safeguards and without undertaking any prior planning for a Leave vote, we believe that the clear majority for a Leave position must be respected and that it is almost inevitable that Article 50 will be triggered. We believe that a Parliamentary vote is necessary before Article 50 is triggered and acknowledge that MPs whose constituencies voted to Remain have a local mandate to oppose the triggering of Article 50 in any parliamentary vote. The Green Party restates its commitment to direct democracy and sovereignty of the people, but we believe that to be effective and to avoid division and confusion direct democracy needs to be based on a participatory and deliberative process. We believe that our future is best served by staying as close as possible to the European Union; We strongly resist attempts to push the country towards a so-called hard Brexit which is little more than cover for those in the Tory party who desire a free market without any protective regulation. We will resist any attempt to race to the bottom on social or environmental standards, or to turn the country into a tax haven. The Green Party commits to working with environmental NGOs to protect and enhance existing UK legislation in the areas of environmental protection, climate change, and energy efficiency. We will seek improvements to areas of EU and Government policy where we have long been critical of EU policy, especially in the area of farm support. We support calls for a second referendum once it is clear what the outcome of the Brexit negotiations is and when the British people are in a position to compare two real and possible futures for their country.

Approved by GPRC 18 October 2016

House of Lords Reform

This Conference supports the House of Lords Reform Bill introduced in the House of Lords by Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Jenny Jones) on 26th May 2016, and (whilst recognising that the Bill may be subject to amendment during its parliamentary stages) instructs GPEx to fully support this Bill for as long as it continues to provide that voting in an eventual reformed House of Lords will be by elected members only and that those members will have been elected by an acceptably fair method of proportional representation.

Passed Autumn 2016 (as part of motion C8)

Opposition to The Government’s Prevent Strategy

The Green Party calls for urgent review of the implementation of the Prevent strategy and its implications for tackling extremism as well as preserving good community relations. We would pursue community-led collaborative approaches to tackling all forms of extremism and not allow the disproportionate targeting of the Muslim community as evidenced by Prevent in its current form.

Passed Autumn 2016

Opposition to the Conservatives’ Trade Union Act

The Green Party supports the right of working people to form and join free, democratic and self-governing trade unions, without restriction by employer or government. Our policies call for a legal framework which will enable workers to pursue legitimate trade disputes, with appropriate rights and protections in the law.



However, the Conservatives’ Trade Union Act seeks to hamper the ability of Trade Unions to improve the pay and conditions of workers, at a time when wages are already suppressed and inequality rising. It raises additional legal barriers to the right to strike, on top of what was already the most complicated legislation on industrial action in the democratic world. It also attempts to impose a range of needless new financial and legal burdens on Trade Unions.

The Green Party congratulates Caroline Lucas on her efforts to oppose this Bill during its passage through Parliament, and in particular her call for direct action to resist it following its passage into law.

The Green Party calls on the UK Government to repeal the Trade Union Act, and calls on Green Party members and supporters to lend their support to their Trade Unions as they take action to defy it.

Passed Autumn 2016

Extending the HPV vaccination

Green Party conference notes:

The move to vaccinate adult men who have sex with men by the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisation is a welcome step in the right direction. However we join campaigners, including the British Medical Association, in calling for the HPV vaccine to be extended to all school age boys.

Passed Spring 2016 (see also PSS HE402)

Foreign policy and bombing of Yemen by Saudi Arabia

The Saudi bombing campaign, and the food, water and medicines blockade against Yemen has intensified catastrophically. The Green Party is very concerned about the effects of the war conducted by one of the world’s richest countries, Saudi Arabia, on one of the poorest, Yemen. We demand:

That Britain end the current supply of UN-banned cluster munitions to Saudi Arabia which are being used to bomb schools, hospitals and orphanages in Yemen.

That Britain end all military assistance to the Saudi Arabia bombing campaign against civilians in Yemen and end all Royal Naval support for the Saudi water, food and medicines blockade of Yemen.

Passed Spring 2016

Zero Carbon Homes and Passivhaus Standards

Green Party Conference notes:

• The government cancelling the introduction of Zero Carbon Home Standards in 2016

• The negative impact this will have on householders at risk of fuel poverty in new housing

• The missed opportunity to reduce carbon emissions in new developments

• The loss of income to the local economy as a result of these lower energy efficiency standards, as householders’ income is spent paying energy bills rather than in local shops and on local services

Green Party Conference believes:

• That under the principle of ‘localism’ councils can determine their own standards on land that they own if those standards comply with UK Building Regulations

• That the internationally recognised ‘Passivhaus Standard’ offers an alternative to the UK’s diminished energy efficiency ambitions for new-build housing

• That the Passivhaus standard complies with UK Building Regulations and can deliver heating bills of less than £100/year for the average three bedroom terrace

Green Party Conference agrees:

• To call on all Local Parties to campaign to specify Passivhaus Standards on all buildings on Council-owned land and as a condition of sale on any council land

Passed Autumn 2015

Solar Photovoltaic Feed In Tariff cuts

Green Party Conference notes the Conservative Government proposals to cut the Feed In Tariff for Solar Photovoltaics by 87%. These cuts will mean a catastrophic reduction in the amount of solar panels being installed, leading to significant job losses and putting our modest 2020 EU Renewable Energy targets at risk.

Green Party Conference calls on the UK Government to enter talks with the Solar Industry to agree a plan that delivers a sustainable future for the solar industry (e.g. Solar Trade Association's Solar Independence Plan) and also puts us on a path towards 100% Renewable Energy in the UK

Passed Autumn 2015

Plane Stupid Activists

Plane Stupid activists occupied Heathrow Airport on 13 July 2015, less than two weeks after the Airports Commission recommended a new runway at Heathrow. Heathrow Airport is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. The science confirms that greenhouse gases must be dramatically reduced from present levels to tackle climate change. In addition, Heathrow Airport is a major cause of illegal and deadly levels of air pollution in London. Local residents also suffer serious health impacts as a result of noise pollution and sleep disturbance.

Conference instructs GPEX to include and publicise an item on the Green Party website supporting the 13 Plane Stupid climate activists who on 13 July 2015 took non violent direct action at Heathrow Airport. Their trial is from 18 - 29 January 2016 at Willesden Magistrates Court.

Passed Autumn 2015



Liverpool activists

The Green Party condemns the custodial sentences given to 5 political activists in Liverpool on 17/09/2015 for the occupation of the old Bank of England Building, and calls for the immediate release of the 4 still in prison. The 5 were part of a larger group (The Love Activists Merseyside) who occupied the long-empty building in April of this year, opening it up to feed and shelter the homeless. All 5 were given 10 weeks for the charge of "breach of an interim possession order," (Trespass) with one receiving a further 3 weeks for obstruction. (One of the 5 activists has had her sentence overturned on appeal.) Of the 4 still inside, 2 have no previous convictions, and 1 was homeless before entering the occupation. 2 of those sentenced are in young offenders institutions. At the time of the protest, both Liverpool Green Party and Natalie Bennett came out in support.

The Green Party recognizes that these sentences are completely disproportionate, and set a very dangerous precedent for any who would protest against the austerity policies of the current government. We note the similarities in the recent treatment of those evicted from the Ark Homeless Camp in Manchester, who could also face custodial sentences, and the Sweetsway housing occupation. We reiterate the support for Non Violent Direct Action outlined in our Policies for a Sustainable Society.

This motion binds the Green Party to release a press statement against the custodial sentences given to these 5 activists, and in support of all those being criminalized for being homeless, and being involved in activism to highlight the plight of the homeless.

Passed Autumn 2015

Green EU campaign

Conference notes:

• That the Queen's Speech in May announced that a Referendum will take place by the end of 2017.

• That the EU Referendum Bill is currently being debated in Parliament.

• The Green Party has a long standing policy of wanting a referendum on EU membership, remaining in the EU, and pushing for major reforms.

• The European Union is in urgent need of reform to make it more democratic, sustainable and accountable.

• The Green Party is an internationalist party. We believe in working across borders to solve the shared challenges we face.

• The recent members survey stated that 78% of members consider the UK’s membership of the EU ‘a good thing’ while only 6% think it ‘a bad thing’.

• That Green MEPS use their position in the European Parliament to make EU institutions more democratic and accountable – and to vote against damaging policies which harm workers and the environment.

• That the Green Party has been at the forefront of the fight against damaging free trade deals – including TTIP.

Conference instructs:

• The Green Party to run a distinct Green campaign in favour of the EU in addition to cross-party campaigning. The Green campaign should highlight our support for an EU which, among other things, helps protect workers’ rights, tackles climate change and promotes peace.

• GPEX and elected representatives to use the referendum campaign to highlight the major reforms we need to the EU, and to bring about a better understanding and engagement among members of the public of how the EU works and how they can influence it, including through the election of MEPs

• GPEX and elected representatives to work together with Green Parties in other EU countries and other partners to build the campaign for real reform in the EU both during the referendum campaign and after.

• GPEX and elected representatives to look at forming campaigning partnerships with grassroots organisations, like-minded politicians and others.

Passed Autumn 2015

Car maker cheating

Call for criminal prosecutions, an independent inquiry and maximum compensation to be sought from car makers for cheating on diesel emissions tests

Conference is outraged by the revelations about the secret software installed in diesel cars by Volkswagen, intended to deceive regulators and give lower results during air pollution emissions tests than when the cars are driven in the real world.

The Transport and Environment organisation in Brussels has described this scandal as ‘the tip of the iceberg as similar disparities exist for other manufacturers. For new diesel cars real emissions of nitrogen dioxide are now typically five times higher than during tests.

The potential effects on public health of this deception are shocking. In the UK, as many as 60,000 early deaths, and in London nearly 10,000, each year are caused by air pollution. [2]

Conference applauds Client Earth for taking legal action that has meant the Government has had to make new air pollution plans. The long-term work of Green Assembly Members in London has also led to plans for a new Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) for the city, which is due to start in 2020.

However, the new revelations mean the effectiveness of these plans are in doubt, as vehicles that claim to meet the standards clearly do not. Many of the assumptions behind new policies have been made a mockery of by cheating car makers.

Conference calls on our Leader and candidate for London Mayor to call for :

a) criminal prosecutions of those involved in a fraud which has undoubtedly cost lives.

b) a genuinely independent inquiry, ideally a Royal Commission, to be set up immediately, to test all vehicles, investigate and report within two months on the scale and extent of the deception and the difference in emissions from those reported across all models sold in recent years,

c) an independent testing process to be set up for all ongoing vehicle testing,

d) the Government and Mayor of London to immediately reassess plans for the ULEZ and the new national Air Quality Plan, adding new measures to reduce traffic and pollution to within legal limits as soon as possible, as required by law, and

e) the Government and Mayor of London to seek maximum compensation from car makers to cover the cost of making new plans, these new measures, lost tax revenue, and the cost to public health.

1. http://www.transportenvironment.org/publications/vw%E2%80%99s-cheating-just-tip-iceberg

2. http://healthyair.org.uk/twice-as-many-deaths-caused-by-air-pollution-in-london/

Passed Autumn 2015

Housing First to address the Homelessness Crisis

In the UK, the transition from street homelessness to independent living for those with complex needs often resembles a ‘staircase’. This can involve: initial contact with outreach workers or day centres; a move into direct-access hostels; a further move into second stage or specialist hostels (relating to support needs); progression to semi-independent or shared accommodation; and ultimately (once deemed ‘housing ready’), taking an independent tenancy, with or without floating support. Access to the initial stages of the staircase for those with substance use or mental health problems is usually dependent on engagement with treatment services (‘Treatment First’), and further progress requires demonstration of improvements in their substance use and mental health issues. This approach has enabled large numbers of homeless people with multiple and complex needs to attain independent living successfully. However, for some it has been neither a successful, nor an attractive, route out of homelessness.

Passed Autumn 2015

Bite the Ballot and voter registration

Conference supports the Bite the Ballot initiative to engage and inspire 18–24 year olds to register to vote before the 20th April deadline.

Conference instructs GPEx and elected members to do all they can to promote the initiative and ensure that as many people as possible have a chance to have their say in the 2015 General Election.

Passed Spring 2015

First Past the Post and Proportional Representation

GPEx and the leaders of the Green Party will work with other interested parties to replace the First Past the Post voting system with Proportional Representation as soon as possible, and to call a new PR election as soon as possible to more fairly reflect the opinion of the electorate.

Passed Spring 2015

Retain the Independent Living Fund (ILF)

The Green Party notes with regret the High Court ruling (8th Dec 2014) that closure of the Independent Living Fund (ILF) was lawful. 18,000 disabled people stand to lose funding that enables them to live and work independently in our communities.

The Green Party resolves to support the retention of the ILF and implores all Green Party MPS elected in May 2015 to work to reinstate the ILF if it is officially closed on 30th June. The Green Party resolves that all devolved funding should be ring-fenced and maintained at existing levels (as a minimum) to allow for an easier transition back to ILF as it currently exists.

Conference tasks the national party with creating a basic briefing for candidates in order that they can raise this issue as part of the 2015 General Election campaign.

Passed Spring 2015

Save Aderonke Apata and end discrimination of LGBTIQ asylum seekers

As in the press this week, the recent case of Aderonke Apata shows that the UK asylum process is still systematically discriminating against LGBTIQ people. Aderonke was refused asylum because she has a child and has had a relationship with a man and therefore was seen as lying about being a lesbian.

Asylum procedures do not understand LGBTIQ lives and patronise and dehumanise asylum seekers. Aderonke was forced into submitting explicit films and photos to ‘prove’ her sexuality.

We call for Aderonke to be granted asylum.

We also call for GPEX to call for an immediate moratorium on the deportation of LGBTIQ refugees until the recommendations of John Vine, Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, and his report are properly acted upon.

Passed Spring 2015

NHS Reinstatement Bill

The Green Party will campaign to restore fully the NHS as an accountable public service providing health services free at the point of delivery by reversing 25 years of marketization in the NHS by abolishing the purchaser-provider split, ending contracting and re-establishing public bodies and public services accountable to local communities. The Green Party supports the 'NHS Reinstatement 2015' Bill proposed by Professor Allyson Pollock et al.

Passed Spring 2015

Demand and Supply Management in the National Health Service

Demand management will be maximised through prevention of illness and appropriate care of the chronically ill. Demand for hospital services will be managed through the best use of community services and through caring for patients as close to home as is safely possible.

Education of patients will be used to limit demand on healthcare services. National campaigns will encourage people not to automatically seek healthcare with self-limiting conditions like common cold, cough, sore throat, diarrhoea and vomiting, and flu-like illness. Information will be available to help people self-manage these conditions, and to recognise when they should seek help. There will be a strong message to discourage the practice of going to work, or to any other social situation, when a person is suffering from a contagious illness such as flu-like illness.

Because of the escalating cost of healthcare there will always be insufficient funds to meet expectations of patients. This necessitates rationing. Where necessary this should be open and democratically accountable, rather than arbitrary and unfair as it is now.

Passed Spring 2015.

Private Healthcare

The Green Party is opposed to private health provision in principle, Greens are opposed to a transfer of resources away from the public health system which is available to all. While private health insurance still exists, it should be a taxable employment benefit where offered.

Passed Spring 2015.

Opposition to 'third way' health reform

We actively oppose and seek to reverse any public service health policy reforms which lead to:

a) a two- or multi-tier health service with uneven standards and service provision,

b) further disconnection of the service from public accountability - via local, regional or national government,

c) the undermining of a fully integrated NHS, publicly funded and committed to high quality universal provision with free services at the point of use, or

d) creeping privatisation.

Passed Spring 2015.

Israel’s Ground Invasion

Conference condemns Israel's ground invasion, aerial and marine bombing of Gaza, and calls on Green Party and Green Party elected representatives to take what steps they can to put existing Green Party policy into action and to ensure that the underlying causes are addressed, acknowledging there can be no lasting peace without justice.

Such steps include:

Reiterating our calls on the UN, the EU and the US government to ensure that Israel complies with international law;

Supporting these calls by active participation in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign. This campaign aims to put pressure on the government of Israel to end the Occupation and to give equal rights to Palestinians. The campaign asks individuals, organisations, councils and governments to refuse to deal with companies and institutions identified as facilitating Israel's military capacity, human rights abuses or illegal settlement activity.

In particular to demand that the UK government halts all joint Israeli/UK military cooperation and approval for all arms sales to Israel.

Passed Autumn 2014

Nature and Wellbeing Act

The Green Party of England and Wales, in response to the Wildlife Trusts and the RSPB, commits to including a promise of a new Nature and Wellbeing Act in our General Election manifesto. We call on all other political parties to do the same.

This bill should include:

A long-term commitment to specific targets for nature’s recovery

The establishment of the Natural Capital Committee in law, to scrutinise the environmental impact of new laws, and propose new policies for incorporating the value (not just financial) of nature in decision-making.

An effective mechanism for creating a national ecological network – composed of numerous local ecological networks developed locally and to include the seas within UK jurisdiction, but to a high common standard

A system to encourage the local support for and targeting of action to recover nationally threatened species

Specific targets to ensure that people and especially children are able to connect to nature where they live

An amendment to Section 78 of the Education Act to include care for the natural environment in the curriculum.

Passed Autumn 2014

Stop TTIP

The proposed EU-US trade deal, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, will be a disaster for the UK and for the EU. Green MEPs have been at the forefront of campaigns to stop TTIP and have voted against it. There has also been opposition from US Greens.

TTIP negotiations are being conducted with barely any public or democratic input or oversight. Although other trade deals have been negotiated beyond the reach of public scrutiny, the scale of TTIP makes its impact much greater and the need for public, democratic oversight even more urgent.

Big business has had excessive influence over the negotiations. In the preparatory phase, of the 590 meetings which took place between the EU Commission and lobby representatives, 92% were with representatives of private companies.

TTIP will undermine the rule of law by establishing a parallel justice system if it includes the proposed Investor-State Dispute Settlement mechanism (ISDS). ISDS gives powers to private arbitration panels to require compensation to private companies deemed to have suffered losses as a result of EU or national laws, with no recourse to appeal. ISDS will have a chilling effect on public policy, undermines democracy, and strengthens the power of private corporations.

The TTIP deal would lead to ‘harmonising’ of EU and US laws. This could lead to high standards in the EU or USA being lowered. This could have serious impacts on workers' rights, environment, animal protection and food safety standards, digital rights and financial regulation.

TTIP will make liberalisation and privatisation 'one way streets'. Returning public utilities, hospitals or waste collection to the public sector once privatised will be much more difficult or even impossible under TTIP. This represents a real threat to the NHS and other public services. Conference calls on the Green Party Executive, Greens elected to public office, and Green Party candidates and members to:

Support and sign the 'Stop TTIP' European Citizens' Initiative, which is launching in September, and which will require the EU Commission to take action if it receives one million EU signatures.[*]

Support and publicise the European Day of Action against TTIP on Saturday 11 October.

Call for MEPs and MPs from all parties to oppose TTIP

Advocate a fair and sustainable EU trade policy, based on the Alternative Trade Mandate coalition proposals.

[*] See http://stop-ttip.org

Passed Autumn 2014

Peace and Democracy in Ukraine

Conference condemns the diplomatic ineptitude and inaction which has allowed Ukraine to descend into death, division and devastation. We call on upon the UK government, and every member government of the UN security council to immediately call an emergency meeting of the UN security council. At that meeting a resolution should be proposed which:

Calls for an immediate permanent ceasefire

Calls for a peacekeeping force to be placed in areas at highest risk of renewed conflict

Calls for near immediate parliamentary elections, essential since the resignation of the last government

Calls for maximum international assistance for reconstruction, humanitarian and medical aid

Calls for UN monitors to ensure elections are free and fair.

Conference asks for GPEx to widely publicize this position, both nationally and internationally so that it gets the widest possible support.

Passed Autumn 2014

Occupy Democracy

Green Party Conference pledges support for Occupy Democracy.

Occupy democracy is a campaign for real democracy, to be launched by a 9 day occupation of parliament square between 17th October and Sunday 26th of October.

The purpose of the camp is to create a space that allows different groups and campaigns to make common cause.

The camp will be outward facing and solutions focused. Each day of the occupation will cover different themes, and provide a platform for prominent voices to broadcast an inspiring vision of the real alternatives to the current downward spiral of the politics of vested interests – the 1% - that have bought off our political system.

Passed Autumn 2014

Health and Social Care Act

The Green Party seeks to repeal the 2012 Health and Social Care Act, and restore responsibility to the Minister of health to provide a comprehensive health service.

The Green Party seeks to repeal the right of the Minister of Health to close hospitals or hospital departments without effective public consultation.

Passed Autumn 2014

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

The Green Party of England and Wales believes that the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP),which aims at removing the regulatory differences between the US and the EU, is an assault on democracy. It would likely lead to the weakening of EU social and environmental legislation and ensure that new European legislation does not stand in the way of corporate interests. The Green Party will campaign against this agreement in order to protect legislation in areas such as environmental protection, workers' rights, health (including the NHS) and animal welfare and will make this issue a central part of its forthcoming European Parliament Election Campaign.

Passed Spring 2014

Making Corporations Responsible

To make corporations behave responsibly we must require them to have regard to fair remuneration for all workers and behave in a socially and environmentally responsible way.

We will do this by:

Changing company rules so that large and medium sized companies must take account of the environmental and social impact of their activities.

Such companies will be required to undertake an annual audit and provide a public report giving details of water and energy use, waste management, resource efficiency measures undertaken and the social and environmental impact of their activities.

The report would include information on any warnings or prosecutions for equality, diversity and environmental offences.

Passed Spring 2014

National Security Agency (NSA) and Snowden, Whistle Blowing and Surveillance

The Green Party of England and Wales believes that illegal mass surveillance must be opposed. The Green Party will campaign against such surveillance and will act to protect whistle blowers such as Snowden who oppose illegal intrusion by the state.

The Green Party of England and Wales believes Edward Snowden should be granted political asylum in a European Union (EU) state of his choice. The United Kingdom (UK) government must take joint action with other states to protect its citizens and companies from espionage and mass surveillance including a parliamentary inquiry into the national security measures that abuse the privacy of the public.

The EU must press for the immediate completion of negotiations on a data protection framework agreement for the law enforcement sector between the EU and the US, before considering future trade and security treaties.

The current Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT), Passenger Name Record (PNR) and Safe Harbour agreements between the US and the European Union should be suspended and then renegotiated. The European Court of Human Rights should check the alleged actions of intelligence services to determine if they are in breach of article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Passed Spring 2014

Animal Welfare - Hunting and Shooting

The Green Party is opposed to shooting and hunting and would bring an end to these 'sports'. Until this happens The Green Party are calling for magazines that promote the shooting and hunting of animals to have blank wrapping and be kept out of the reach of children.

Passed Autumn 2013

On Land Grabs

Background

With rising commodity prices and concerns over climate change, land has become increasingly valuable. Across the globe a new round of enclosure has resulted. Indigenous people and small farmers are often removed from land that they either own privately or via customary communal right have access to. Seized land often benefits corporations, sovereign and pension funds and multinationals, which produce on large-scale agrofuels and other agricultural commodities for export instead of food for the local population.

There is a long history of commons being enclosed and taken from commoners both within Europe and as a result of European colonialism across the world. Millions of native Americans, Asians, and Africans were dispossessed of their lands and resources. Land grabbing has been justified by notions such as the 'tragedy of the commons' and ignorance of alternative systems of property rights. The work of the late Professor Elinor Ostrom, who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in economics, for her research into common pool property, has shown that common pool property can be managed sustainably and fairly.

Green Party of England and Wales notes that there is a long history of environmental degradation and social injustice fuelled by large scale land seizures. Affirms its support for indigenous peoples, peasants and their social movement allies in opposing land seizures.

Emphasizes that customary land rights include collective ownership and access rights which provide environmentally sustainable and equitable forms of ownership. Furthermore we note that trade agreements that do not acknowledge the variety of such property rights can act to dispossess communities from land. We oppose institutional support for land seizures both from the UK, European Union and other bodies.

In case of land-market free market mechanisms should always be overruled by the principles of sustainability and social justice. In addition, we oppose efforts at conservation or commercial land development that exclude the participation of local people.

We propose the following specific measures.

1. The UK government must adhere to the Voluntary Guidelines on Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests, adopted in May adopted in May 2012 by the 128 countries of the UN Committee on World Food Security as a first small step in a good direction. But, together with most NGOs and farmers' organisations, they underscore the voluntary nature of these guidelines as governments do not guarantee the cancellation of past land concessions and the continuation of such land grabs. The United Nations International convention on economic and social rights calls for protection from forced eviction regardless of person’s land tenure status - whether it is formal or informal. States have to eliminate discrimination related to informal tenure and to prevent, prohibit and eliminate discriminatory practices.

2. The UK government must oppose the sourcing of imported biofuels from crops. Biofuels often come from land which has been seized from local people as is the case in countries such as Colombia and Indonesia. Biofuels are environmentally destructive and drive up food prices.

3. The UK should activate the 2004 EU Land Policy Guidelines which at present it largely ignores.

4. UK trade policy should provide concrete guidelines to avoid activities which lead to the dispossession of developing country communities of their farm or collectively held lands, and upon both of which their livelihoods depend. We oppose the imposition of the EU's Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) to ACP countries, [which] must be oppossed as they accelerate the dispossession of small family farmers as well as their very fragile small industries.

5. The UK should temporarily suspend trade preferences on agricultural products in cases where human rights abuses are identified in the framework of land concessions.

Passed Autumn 2013

Keep the East Coast Rail Franchise in the Public Sector

The government proposes to re-privatise this franchise before the next general election. The Green Party opposes this and believes that the East Coast rail franchise should be kept in the public sector.

Passed Autumn 2013

Rail and Public Ownership

The Green Party reiterates its long standing commitment to bringing our rail system, including track and operators, back into public ownership. Our policy also recognises the need to ensure our rail services are more democratically accountable at local and regional levels. As such, we believe an easy and quick win in the process of bringing our rail network back into public ownership is for the Government to transfer local commuter services which predominantly serve London, over to Transport for London when the current franchises end; rather than handing them to another private rail operator. The interests of passengers outside London should be safeguarded by ensuring that there is a mechanism for their representatives to be involved in decision making. The Green Party notes the significant improvements in reliability, frequency, trains and stations for those services that have already been transferred to Transport for London as part of the London Overground network.

Passed Autumn 2013

Forced Academies

Conference recognises that Michael Gove has recently escalated his policy of forcing primary schools to become academies so that now only one poor Ofsted report is required to trigger such a move. This has currently resulted in several strong parent-led campaigns in defence of community schools.

The Green Party believes forced academisation:

• Undermines the role of local authorities and school governing bodies in school improvement

• Undermines local democratic accountability of schools

• Ignores the wishes of major stakeholders including governors and parents

• Hands over local assets to an external provider without recompense

• Opens the school to eventually being run on a profit-making basis

Conference therefore instructs the GPEX campaigns coordinator to facilitate a campaign against this policy at national level over the next 6 months and calls on local parties to take up the issue where appropriate.

Passed Spring 2013

Support the COR People's Assembly

The Green Party notes with approval that The Coalition of Resistance (of which it is an affiliate), launched a call for a People’s Assembly Against Austerity on 5 February 2013, to be held on 22 June 2013. The aim of the People’s Assembly is to bring together campaigns against cuts and privatisation with trade unionists in a movement for social justice. to develop a strategy for resistance to mobilise millions of people against the Con Dem government.



The Green Party agrees to send a delegation to the People’s Assembly and to encourage local parties, regional federations and other GP bodies (eg GPTU) to also send delegations and to support future local People’s Assemblies.

Passed Spring 2013

Publicly Owned NHS

Conference notes that this month secondary legislation introduced into the parliament by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt will effectively force GPs responsible for commissioning health services to open them all to competition, leaving the way clear for widespread privatisation of the NHS in England. It notes that these regulations contradict assurances given by the Coalition government during the passing of the Health and Social Care Act 2012. It notes that international evidence suggests that a market in healthcare leads to worse outcomes for patients, and that the stability and financial base of traditional NHS services will be put at-risk by private providers “cherrypicking” the most lucrative patients and services.



We direct our elected representatives and the Green Party executive to campaign to ensure that the NHS Competition regulations (SI 257) under the Act are subject to full debate and vote in Parliament, and to work for their defeat or withdrawal. And it further calls upon them to highlight the strong Green Party position in favour of a publicly owned and publicly run NHS.

Passed Spring 2013

EDF

Conference notes that, this week, EDF energy have announced their plans to sue climate change activists No Dash For Gas for £5million.



These activists shut down West Burton gas-fired power station for a week – stopping the power station emitting over 19000 tonnes of CO2 and highlighting the government's attempts to deliver a new dash for gas.



Conference condemns EDF energy for this attack on the right to protest, which could leave these activists paying off the debt for the rest of their lives.



Conference also notes that the police - who normally should have no role in a civil case - have assisted EDF energy in pursuing the activists, and condemns them for doing so.



Conference regards this action as a direct threat to the right to protest and a clear effort to prevent any stand on environmental, human rights or any other issues in the future.

Conference calls on our elected representatives and the Green Party executive to highlight EDF’s assault on the right to peaceful protest, and to take all possible steps to encourage investigation of the links between police officers and the EDF in collecting intelligence on and policing these and similar protests.



Conference instructs GPEx to contact No Dash For Gas to offer the Green Party's support, and to ask how best we can help.

Passed Spring 2013

The UK and Saudi Arabia and Bahrain

In the light of the ongoing Foreign Affairs Select Committee hearing into the UK’s relationship with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, conference calls on our elected representatives and the Green Party executive to highlight the failure of the British government to address longterm and ongoing concerns about the appalling human rights records in Saudi Arabia in particular, and more recent very serious concerns about Bahrain. It calls on them to highlight the fact that at the 2012 BAE AGM the company chair failed to answer a question as to whether there were any circumstances under which BAE would cease taking orders from the Saudi Army or cease collaborating with them. It calls on our representatives to campaign against any future export credit cover for future arms deals to the two states, and to campaign for the publication of the National Audit Office investigation of the Al Yamamah deal, completed in 1992, to be published. (The only NAO report ever not published after being presented to parliament.)

Passed Spring 2013

Mental Health Services

During this conference, Natalie Bennett signed the Time To Change pledge on behalf of the party. The pledge means that the Green Party is joining many other organisations in raising awareness of mental health problems and tackling discrimination.

Time to Change has highlighted that:

• One in four adults suffers from mental health problems in any one year

• One in six British workers is experiencing depression, anxiety or stress

• 10% of children are suffering from a mental health problem.

In November, MIND published the results of three surveys showing that mental health services in the UK are overstretched, that people are not being assessed quickly enough and many people needing treatment are not getting access to services at all.

Conference notes with deep concern that funding for mental health services is being cut further by many local councils and health bodies around the country this month.

Conference notes that Brighton and Hove City Council has protected its funding for mental health services and supports the work of Green Councillors, Caroline Lucas MP and other Green campaigners in opposing cuts to services that support mental health sufferers.

Conference asks the Green Party Executive to promote the party’s support for the Time to Change campaign and our opposition to cuts to mental health services through a press release, e-mail bulletins and other campaigning opportunities.



Passed Spring 2013

Make Anti Counterfeit Trade Agreement History

The Green Party notes the statement, below, adopted by the Council of the European Green Party in May 2012 and the near identical statement adopted at the Global Greens Congress in March 2012.

TEXT OF EGP RESOLUTION

Make ACTA history

ACTA is not transparent, non-democratic and exclusive

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) was negotiated by the EU, the USA and a small group of other states supported by industry lobby groups behind closed doors without the participation of parliaments and civil society. As the attempt to push for stricter enforcement rules of intellectual property rights failed in multilateral fora like the WTO and the WIPO, the states pushing for ACTA, decided to negotiate in an exclusive group without developing countries. We as European Greens strongly oppose this move away from international fora and to start a policy of closed shops and not- transparent processes.

ACTA threatens the freedom of information in the Internet

Although ACTA does not (anymore) oblige the treaty parties to control and inflict ISP infringement, it still lists these provisions as goals to be reached. The signatories shall, for example, work towards a stronger cooperation between Internet Service Providers and ISP right holders. This would lead to more stringent rights’ enforcement by the ISPs for fear of responsibility for alleged Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) infringement by their customers and give matter to the notion of privatised rights’ enforcement outside of regular formal legal procedures.

ACTA endangers the access to medicine

Patients all over the globe, but especially in developing countries depend to a large extent on the affordable generics – often produced in other developing countries like India but shipped through the EU. As ACTA also covers trademarks, customs’ officers will become entitled to seize generics in transit if they as much as resemble patented medicine by their packaging. ACTA will facilitate the destruction of confiscated medicine – now only possible in very limited circumstances. Forced information disclosure in the production chain will be made easier for right holders and thus cause a chilling effect for producers of generic medicine that means out of fear for punishment decrease or stop production. All these measures go beyond TRIPS, curb the developing countries’ TRIPS flexibilities and threaten the trade with legitimate generic medicine.

ACTA paves a wrong way of how to deal with copyright

A more and more rigid way of copyright and IPR infringement became more dominant in the last years. We saw TRIPS that made life difficult for developing countries. Companies can patent new forms of broccoli or Amazonas plants. Pharmaceutical companies patent every tiny change of a medicine. We Greens want a reform of the IPR system so that it is based on a fair balance of right holders and users. We Greens are discussing therefor the best ways to modernize and reform copyright and IPR legislation to each these goals. ACTA however would cement the old, rigid approach for the years to come.

ACTA does not even hold what it promises

The Commission and other ACTA proponents claim that ACTA wants to fight counterfeit products. In reality, ACTA is useless in preventing the production of faked Gucci sun glasses counterfeit products, China, is not even part of ACTA. ACTA cannot prevent the trade with faked, dangerous medicine.

The people do not want ACTA

The big protest movement all over the world, especially Europe showed that European citizens do not want ACTA. The pressure from the streets showed already its impact. The European Commission itself is starting to doubt and decided to refer ACTA to the European Court of Justice. Other political groups in the European Parliament woke up and started critical debates – also after having received thousands of e-mails from concerned citizens. There is a political momentum

for making ACTA history.

Therefore, we, as European Greens:

1. Strictly oppose ACTA;

2. Support the protest movement all over the world;

3. Urge the European Parliament and ACTA signatories’ national parliaments to refuse consent on ACTA;

4. Conduct ex-ante and ex-post human rights impact assessments with every trade agreement.

5. We are aware of the fact, that ACTA is not an isolated attempt to reduce the freedom of Internet or access to medicines. The European Greens call upon the European Parliament and the

EU Commission that they should consistently support and fight for net neutrality and an open and free Internet, and access to medicines and against reducing Internet freedom as in IPRED or other upcoming international negotiations.

TEXT OF EGP RESOLUTION ENDS

The Green Party welcomes and supports this statement and congratulates the Greens in the European Parliament for leading the campaign against ACTA.

The Green Party further notes that ACTA is part of a series of attempts to change national and international regulation around intellectual property and copyright in favour of corporate profit and to the detriment of human rights and consumer protection.

Passed Autumn 2012

International Law of Ecocide

The Green Party of England and Wales gives its wholehearted support for an international law of Ecocide - a crime against nature, humanity and future generations – to be established and recognised as an International Crime Against Peace.

Passed Autumn 2012

Economic Democracy

To help prevent a repeat of the economic crisis, we need greater economic democracy, through participation in decision-making, transparency, decentralisation of economic power and greater accountability from corporations. There are four ways we could achieve this:

Require medium and large-sized companies to be accountable to their employees and to the general public by including on their management boards employee-elected directors and independent directors to represent the interests of consumers. Employee and consumer directors could act as watchdogs and whistleblowers against corporate irresponsibility. Not being driven by the profit-motive, they could also push for company policies that are more socially inclusive and environmentally protective.

Give employees a meaningful stake in the management and control of their company pension funds, to decentralise and democratise investment decisionmaking and to give it a social and ethical dimension. The £900 billion invested in pension funds is a sizeable counterweight to the economic clout of big business. It could be invested in ways that help make the economy more fair and people-centred.

Grant employees the legal right to buy out their companies and turn them into workers co-operatives, and provide funding to do this from a Green National Investment Bank. The funding would be contingent on the cooperatives following green and ethical policies. These co-ops would weaken the power of big corporations, localise economic decision-making, and give employees incentives for greater productivity.

Passed Autumn 2012

The ILO Convention on Domestic Workers

The Green Party calls on the UK government to sign and ratify the ILO Convention on Domestic Workers. It recognises domestic workers are an important part of the workforce and should be entitled to the same rights as any other worker, including pay, working hours and safety. We call on the government to particularly recognise the vulnerability of migrant domestic workers and act to ensure their protection and provision of safe, appropriate working conditions for them.

Passed Spring 2012

Women, Peace and Security and the UN

The Green Party is deeply concerned about sexual violence and all forms of violence perpetrated against civilians, particularly the high levels of violence against women and children, in situations of armed conflict. We call on the UK government to provide greater financial resources and active support to implement the provisions of UN resolutions and decisions dealing with women, peace and security, including UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000), UN Security Council Resolution 1820 (2008), UN Security Council Resolution 1888 (2009), UN Security Council Resolution 1889 (2009) and UN General Assembly Resolution 65/69 (2010).

We call on the government to recognise and support the important role of women as agents of change in local, national and international disarmament and peace-making, and to work with relevant organisations and agencies to ensure there is increased representation of women at all decision-making levels in national, regional and international institutions and mechanisms for disarmament, the prevention, management and resolution of conflict, and the maintenance and promotion of international peace and security.

The Green Party also strongly supports the new UN Women organisation. The government's current funding for UN Women falls far short of our commitments and UN Women's needs, and the Green Party calls for the UK government to increase funding and meet Britain's full responsibilities to resource the work of UN Women.

Passed Spring 2012

Ending the Long-Term Stigmatisation of Sex Workers and Former Sex Workers

The Green Party calls for the ending of the classification of the offences of "Loitering or Soliciting for the Purpose of Prostitution" and "Brothelkeeping" as sexual offences. We recognise that the permanent retention of sexual offences on an individual's record, through the enhanced criminal records bureau check, can be a significant barrier to people who wish to leave sex work but are prevented from entering many jobs as a result of this record, and may also have severe and unwarranted consequences for family life.

Passed Spring 2012

Availability for Work

The Green Party has a commitment to the introduction of a Citizens Income which will mean that the need to test "availability for work" is no longer required. In the meantime we believe that decisions about whether someone is healthy enough to be required to be "available for work" should be made within the NHS rather than by a "capability assessment" carried out by the DWP.

Passed Spring 2012

Occupy Movement

The Green Party supports the global occupy movement:

Since the financial crisis began there has been a widespread recognition that our economic system is not working.

Whether it be reversing the deregulation of the financial services, wealth inequality, privatisation or tax injustice there is a deep desire to see real change.

The Occupy Movement that began in Wall Street and spread to hundreds of cities across the world represents the clearest expression of that desire for change.

The Green Party applauds the audacity of this movement that has made our failing economic system a daily topic of discussion in the media and in our communities.

The Green Party seeks to learn from this movement with which we have so much in common.

We can only gain by debating, working with and befriending those in this and other new movements whose fresh approach to politics has reignited hope for the future in so many.

We seek to take the inspiration they have given us and use it to inform our work in our communities, on the streets and at the ballot box.

Passed Spring 2012

Apology for Coerced Adoptions

Green Party conference calls on Green Party elected representatives and GPEx to campaign for an official government apology for the historic treatment of birth parents (primarily between the 1940s and 1980s) who were coerced into giving up babies for adoption, usually because of their unmarried status, with in many cases long-lasting detrimental effects on their lives and health. They should work to ensure the government recognises the pain and suffering of birth parents and children separated by inappropriate and unethical past adoption practices, and that it commits to an effective and ongoing dialogue with birth parents and their children affected by past adoption practices. They should also campaign for research to fully understand the impact of these practices, and what services or support those continuing to be affected by them might need.

Passed Autumn Conference Sheffield 2011

Immigration Cap

The Green Party reaffirms it's commitment to a liberal immigration policy. Everyone is equal no matter what the colour of their passport. The Coalition's policy of introducing an immigration cap restricts people's rights based purely on their nationality, harms the economy and is not conducive to a free and happy society.The Green Party is in favour of a real review of border controls that takes in the full benefits of immigration and stops treating those who are not native to the UK as a problem.

Passed Autumn Conference Sheffield 2011

One Million Jobs

Conference calls on the Green party to support the "One Million Jobs" pamphlet and petition produced by the Campaign Against Climate Change by encouraging sales of the pamphlet and signatures for the petition.

Passed Autumn Conference Sheffield 2011

High Speed Rail

TR11.3 The Green Party believes that long-distance service provision should not concentrate on high speeds where this will affect local service provision or take up an excessive amount of limited resources.



Current proposals for a new north-south high speed rail route are based on assumptions about continuing growth in mobility, energy use and CO2 emissions which are not compa