Simon Hughes keynote Energy and Climate Change speech to the Liberal Democrats' spring conference

12.00.00am GMT Sat 7th Mar 2009

Once upon a time, years ago, and yes, even before our party was born, I was already in parliament and one of the first debates I introduced was on the risks to the biodiversity of our planet if we didn't change our ways. Unlike some other parties, we haven't just discovered the environment.

From our beginnings, Liberal Democrats have wanted a Britain which is fair, free and green. We understand each of these because they are all at the core of our being. As Simon Hoggart wrote about us in 1981: "They have briefcases stuffed with documents, chiefly about community politics, nuclear power and ecology. They drink real ale". From the local to the international, leadership on climate change is needed. Liberal Democrats accept this responsibility.

Of course, the economy is at the front of people's minds. But let's not forget there is an unprecedented environmental crisis too. Which gets worse by the day. But, the interesting thing is not what is different about the economy and the environment but what connects them. A credit crunch and an ecological crunch.

Liberal Democrats understand that the same attitude has driven us into both crises: Take what you can for today, and do not worry about tomorrow; Plan for the short-term and leave someone else to think about the future; look after number one and to hell with anybody else.

Bankers have been taking risks with our money, but we have all been taking risks with our planet. Governments have encouraged the build up of mountains of debt, but we have all allowed the build up of mountains of rubbish. Short term thinking has been taking over. And with this government it still persists. The most recent example is the third runway at Heathrow. Our country and our world cannot afford to behave like this any more.

We say clearly:

Enough short-term thinking!

Stop gambling with our future!

Stop short selling our planet!

For decades, Liberal Democrats have predicted an environmental crisis, and for years a financial crisis. The Liberal Democrat proposals Nick announced last autumn were for practical help to struggling individuals and families. We made immediately clear that Britain needed the green road out of recession. Green jobs, serious investment, immediate action. But the Government still has not understood. Did you realise that their ridiculous VAT cut wastes a billion pounds a month? Yesterday the Government made yet another announcement about a green new deal. Gordon Brown may talk of green new deals. But he doesn't really get it. Unlike Mandelson. Poor man. Green custard. Or guacamole? Or mushy peas? Seriously though, yesterday's show in London was not much more than another green fig leaf designed to hide an inadequate stimulus package. In time we hope to restore our nation's financial balance sheet. But we are close to a time when restoring nature's balance sheet will become impossible. Make no mistake about the urgency of this task. My responsibility is to make sure we campaign on bold environment and energy policies. Our energy and environment messages must be understood equally in crofts on Skye and in tower blocks in Southwark. Saving the planet must be a task for the many not the few. You know me. I could present you with an action list of 20 things. I have been prevailed upon to limit this. This does not, of course, limit my ambition for our environment. But today, I'm going to focus on renewables, nuclear power and warm homes.

First, renewables. We live on islands - as you may have noticed. We are lapped by tide and waves and buffeted frequently by wind. Sometimes, in fact quite often, the sun shines. We have great natural resources. Developing our renewables as quickly as possible must therefore be the highest energy priority. This isn't fantasy talk. The technology exists. Now is the time for investment in renewables and practical action. Nuclear... will be too expensive, too little and too late to meet Britain's energy needs. On this, Labour and the Tories forget the lesson of our times. Nuclear thinking is short-term thinking. It is no good dealing with one of today's problems by adding to another. Of course, by adopting nuclear power we produce low carbon energy. But, nuclear power increases danger and uncertainty for generations ahead.

And, warm homes. Astoundingly, in Britain today only one in a hundred households is energy efficient. That's official. Which is why two weeks ago I announced an ambitious plan which could transform Britain into a place where all homes can be warm homes. And, within ten years. Our detailed policy could be called 'Opportunity Knocks'. But it's not. But it is rightly called 'An Opportunity Missed' and 'An Opportunity Offered'. Coordinated from the centre but led by all principal councils up and down the land, we can deliver warm homes for Britain, village by village and street by street. Here I want to big up David Heath. On March 20th, David will use his second place in the MPs ballot to change the law and deliver a massive home insulation programme - halving energy needed to heat the average home. We all support him. And whatever David achieves, the energy industry must also - and not before time - deliver fair fuel prices. Ending the scandal of energy charging where low users pay more for each unit than high users. We must build an energy independent Britain in an energy independent Europe.

Now, conference, I must share with you the latest information I have gleaned from recent private conversations with cabinet ministers. The Government are planning for an election in June! It will be called... the European election! Which is a huge opportunity. And put simply, Liberal Democrats will be positive about Europe because we believe we are stronger together. If across 27 countries we want banks to work effectively, criminal networks to be broken up quickly and our environment to be protected properly, then we need people like Diana, Fiona, Sarah, Chris and the rest of our impressive team. Europe is at the centre of our energy strategy. All our candidates, like us, believe in international responsibility - not nationalist irresponsibility. And they like us believe that Europe is too important to leave to UKIP or their partners in European isolationism - the modern Conservative party. The Tories have - yes - just one friend in the European parliament. By contrast, we are in a Liberal Democrat group 55 parties strong and with 5 Prime Ministers across the EU. We are engaged in Europe, positive about its potential and clear about the need for reform. This June's election will be one of the three major political opportunities in Europe this year.

The first is the G20 summit next month. But the third event, in December, could possibly be the most significant of all. The Copenhagen summit is the most critical moment for global action on climate change since the Kyoto deal in 2001. It must not fail. After all, Europe holds the key which global leadership needs if we are to avoid the most dangerous consequences of climate change.

Let's face it, Europe has been burning dirty fossil fuels for longest. Pumping harmful CO2 into the earth's atmosphere. Given this historic misuse of the world's resources, Europe should now show a different commitment, set an example to the world and take full responsibility for our past. Steve Webb and last year's environment team forced the Government to be more ambitious. Last November's Climate Change Act now commits the UK to an increased 80% target for reductions in carbon emissions by 2050. Well done.

But we are more ambitious still. Ambitious for our people at G20 in April. Ambitious for our continent in the Euro elections in June. And ambitious for our planet at the Copenhagen summit in December. While environmental challenges are international, we know the effects of climate change are immediate and local. Indeed, when Nick Clegg said "all politics is personal" he could well have been thinking of environmental politics. We must be the party which connects the global to the local. The economic to the environmental. The political to the personal. We must assure our farmers, our food producers and our shoppers that we want fair trade abroad, but we must also have fair trade at home. We must get out the message, before this June's elections and all elections, in the shop, the pub and the workplace, that climate change and the environment affect our everyday lives.

In Britain in 2009, we see the erosion of our east coast, and many homes have been flooded in counties east and west. Asthma numbers rising as our addiction to polluting travel grows. And warming temperatures now threaten nature in Britain. Springtime bluebells in our woods, hedgehogs, butterflies. And some butterflies are particularly under threat in Devon and Cornwall - where every vote, like every butterfly, must count. Green spaces in our towns and cities are vital too. Gardens, allotments, parks and playing fields are precious. Liberal Democrats say yes to sustainable development but no to Tarmac Britain.

We need a country where: our people have space to breathe; threatened species are able to breed; and where all have access to our green and pleasant land. The economic crisis gives us an opportunity to look at things in a new way and make a new start in 2009 and beyond.

Liberal Democrats know that we all must play our part in tackling a global problem. Our internationalism, our compassion and commitment to social justice enable us to have this global vision. We are stronger together. Planning for a greener future. Investing now for the long term. An economy built on green foundations.

Liberal Democrats, all this is true to our philosophy, our history and our values. Unlike the blues and the reds, we don't need to respray our party green. Fairness, freedom and greenness are in everything we do. As our constitution says: we must be responsible stewards of the earth and its resources. We will be true to our roots. Britain must choose a better future. The future of our earth demands nothing less.