Abstract
The past three years have seen unprecedented attacks on environmental policy, which includes the Government’s approach to energy and climate. This election the major choice facing voters is either more of the same, with subsidies and fast track approvals that virtually guarantee continued climate chaos on the right, or a return to well-meaning but mostly insufficiently ambitious energy and climate policies on the left.
We asked the major seven political parties about their approach to energy and climate issues as they relate to public health; from e-bikes to the Paris Agreement to domestic mitigation. Several parties had not yet released full energy and climate policies but at least responded to our request for information. Disappointingly, the ACT and National parties did not to respond and instead have been assessed based on their recent policy decisions and public statements.
Troublingly, party policies demonstrate political polarisation on energy and climate and a failure from many parties to meaningfully respond to climate change. However, support for increasing the uptake of solar is shared across the political spectrum.