What the UK 2015 Election Means For Climate Change and Fracking

About the Series

David Cameron’s Conservative Party won a surprise majority government during the May 2015 UK general election. The outcome defied expectations of a hung parliament and saw the UK return to single-party government after five years of Tory-Liberal Democrat coalition. The other big story of the election was the Scottish National Party’s almost total victory north of the border, winning all but three seats.

Amber Rudd has been appointed as secretary of state for energy and climate change. She was welcomed by green groups for her stance on renewable energy, but as this DeSmog UK series shows, her appointment has also been enthusiastically welcomed by the fracking industry. Rudd will be joined by Andrea Leadson as energy minister.

The top line on the Conservative approach to climate and energy issues is that the party will stick to the UK‘s overarching carbon targets, while focusing on minimising costs. Here, we investigate who the new key players are what this all means for action on climate change and the fracking industry in Britain.

 

In This Series

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The government’s cuts to renewable energy subsidies will leave the industry “in limbo” and send a “worrying signal” about the UK’s commitment to tackling climate change ahead of the Paris climate c...
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Only 10 weeks into the new Conservative Government and already the credibility of its green policies are being called into question. Amber Rudd, head of the Department of Energy and Climate Change ...
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Since the Conservatives won a majority in the general election just over three weeks ago, there has been an increase in the number of planning applications submitted relating to hydraulic fracturin...
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The rise of Andrea Leadsom to energy minister has correlated with generous donations to the Conservative party by Peter de Putron, a mysterious hedge fund guru – and her brother-in-law. Leadsom was...
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This article by Christine Ottery has been cross-posted from Energydesk. Sajid Javid, the newly appointed secretary of state for the department of Business Innovation and Skills, has accepted over £...
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Australian engineering and mining firm AJ Lucas’s share price nearly doubled in the first week following the Conservative party’s surprise election win on May 7. The dramatic jump in value coincide...
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Fracking rules will be loosened under Amber Rudd’s leadership at the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) in an effort to speed up shale gas extraction. In an interview with The Sunday Ti...
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Fracking wells will be popping like champagne corks across Britain during the next five years following the promotion of shale gas supporter Amber Rudd to secretary of state for the Department of E...
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The battle for the soul of the Conservative party will intensify during the life of the next government on the increasingly volatile issue of climate change, write Brendan Montague and Matteo Civil...
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While climate change barely got a mention in the national election debates, in Lancashire the issue of fracking was by no means sidelined in the run-up to election night. Since the news of Lancashi...
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The way people vote can depend on much more than just the issues being debated scientists have found. Several studies have shown that subtle psychological cues can be just as effective at influenci...
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This has been cross-posted from Carbon Brief The UK's  closest election in a generation is now three weeks away. Carbon Brief is tracking the climate and energy content of the parties' manifestos a...
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After two televised debates and several manifesto launches, the 2015 general election is well and truly underway. Promises, pledges and plans are being churned out by political parties on an indust...
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Prime Minister David Cameron’s promise to hold a referendum on Britain’s EU membership if re-elected would be a “disaster for environmental policy” Ed Davey, the secretary of state for the Departme...
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Environmental leaders have welcomed a rare cross-party deal to tackle climate change struck between Britain’s leading political parties ahead of the general election. Prime Minister David Cameron, ...