Mirror mirror on the wall, which party is the greenest of them all?

In the run up to the general election, we saw the leaders of the three main UK parties - and their spouses - proudly displaying their political colours.

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg donned a yellow tie for the first election debate, and the wife of Labour leader Gordon Brown, Sarah, was pictured wearing a pair of bright red shoes when hitting the campaign trail.

The Conservative party leader David Cameron has too shown his party's colours in his attire, regularly adding a splash of blue to his outfits when vying for the nation's votes before the country went to the polls on May 6th.

However, for many people the real question of colour is which party is the greenest? Which party's policies will tackle climate change, help to secure a sustainable future for Britain, and go some way in reversing the devastating impact of carbon emissions on our planet?

While traditionally, the Liberal Democrats may have been seen as the most eco-conscious party out of the big three, climate change and environmental policies are now a big focus for Labour and the Conservatives too.

So what are they promising?

As has been regularly noted in the run up to this election, the three main parties actually seem to agree on a number of key issues - and this is no different in their eco policies.

Labour and the Liberal Democrats are promising to reduce the nation's reliance on carbon-hungry power, with both pledging to make substantial moves towards using 40 per cent low-carbon electricity in the next five years.

Labour has also pledged to create some 400,000 jobs in the green sector by 2015.

The Conservatives and Labour also agree on the issue of waste. Both make mention of a zero waste Britain in their manifestos. To get to this stage, Labour has promised to ban throwing of recyclable and biodegradable waste onto the nation's landfill sites.

David Cameron's Tories have said that if elected, they will work to put a floor under landfill tax for the next ten years. This move is aimed at encouraging firms to make investments in greener forms of waste disposal.
The Conservatives are also keen to introduce initiatives to recycle, as is Labour.

What about pollution and renewable power?

Man-made climate change and carbon emissions are heavily contributed to by the cars we drive and the planes we fly in for business and for pleasure.

As such, the Liberal Democrat manifesto promises higher levels of funding into public transport, which the party hopes will encourage people to leave their vehicles at home and get the bus or train to work.

All three parties are keen to invest in renewable power, which could include offshore wind farms, solar power and other forms of heating the country in a more sustainable way.

The Liberal Democrats' manifesto includes an eco cashback scheme aimed at rewarding homeowners for generating their own power. This scheme is already available under the Labour government, with the boiler scrappage scheme another eco policy recently introduced.

The Conservatives have pledged to invest in wind power and build at least two Marine Energy Parks. They also want to introduce a Green Deal, aimed at helping every home benefit from up to £6,500 worth of energy improvement work.

Other eco issues

In a change from the promises of the other parties, the Conservatives have included a manifesto clause pledging to put a national tree planting scheme in place. This, the party said, will help make UK towns and cities greener.

The Labour party manifesto points out that the current government has opened two new national parks and promises to continue to work towards protecting areas of greenbelt land across the country.

The Lib Dems are also keen to increase taxation on aviation and Labour has said that should it stay in power, drivers will be able to benefit from discounts on electric cars.

So what do the parties disagree on?

Perhaps the biggest difference in the eco polices of the big three are in their attitudes towards nuclear power. This form of power has long been a contentious issue, with environmentalists highlighting the potential dangers and pollution linked to such energy, and advocates of nuclear progression claiming that investment in the sector is vital for Britain's energy future.

The Liberal Democrats would totally scrap nuclear power plant plans if elected, with party leader Nick Clegg previously calling nuclear an old technology that is wasting taxpayers' money.

Labour criticised this stance, saying that such views "endanger our energy security and climate change goals".

The Conservatives have pledged to "make way" for more nuclear power stations but have assured the voting public this will be on the grounds that they receive no public subsidy.

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