In the news
Bright Blue's associate fellow Ben Caldecott responds to the general election result in the Independent. He argues that the cross-party consensus on climate change is strong, and so in a hung parliament collaboration should be possible.
Here's an excerpt:
"It is also important for the Conservative Party to lead on this issue, not least because of its importance to younger voters, who have belatedly made their voice heard in our electoral system."
Bright Blue associate fellow Ben Caldecott was quoted in response to new polling showing strong public support for climate action. He argues that the UK's climate sceptic fringe is out of step with mainstream public opinion.
Here's an excerpt:
"This is not at all surprising, despite what the small, but vocal climate denier brigade would like to try and have us believe," he said of the latest survey results.
Bright Blue senior researcher Sam Hall is quoted in the Independent on the Conservative manifesto. He argues that the benefits of fracking were oversold in the manifesto, and that the priority should be renewables.
Here's an excerpt:
However, Sam Hall, of the 'liberal conservative' think tank Bright Blue, said the manifesto "oversells the benefits of fracking".
Bright Blue senior researcher Sam Hall is quoted in Business Green on the launch of the Conservatives' manifesto. He welcomes the Conservatives' re-commitment to be the first generation to leave the environment in a better state than it inherited it and criticises the lack of detail on air pollution.
Here's an excerpt:
Sam Hall, senior researcher at the conservative think tank Bright Blue, said the manifesto should be "applauded for reaffirming [the Conservatives'] ambition for this to be the first generation to leave the environment in a better state than it inherited it".
Bright Blue senior researcher Sam Hall is quoted in the New Statesman about fracking. He is sceptical of further development of new carbon-intensive infrastructure that may soon become stranded.
Here's an excerpt:
Even Sam Hall, a senior researcher at Bright Blue, a liberal conservative think tank, is not entirely convinced by the development of more carbon-intensive infrastructure, "at a time when we should be rapidly reducing our consumption of fossil fuels".
Bright Blue's senior researcher Sam Hall is quoted in a Business Green article on the Government's new air quality strategy. He welcomes the Government's new strategy on the grounds it gives more powers and more responsibilities to local authorities to design and implement a scheme to suit local needs.
Here's an excerpt:
However, Sam Hall, senior researcher at Bright Blue, a centre right-leaning think tank that has campaigned for more action to tackle air quality, said the draft plan should help accelerate the transition to cleaner forms of transport.
Bright Blue's manifesto for green conservatism has been covered in the Yorkshire Post. Ahead of the 2017 General Election, Bright Blue senior researcher Sam Hall urges Theresa May to make a bold offer to liberal Britain on the environment.
Here's an excerpt:
The influential Conservative think tank Bright Blue claims a focus on “protecting the environment” in the coming weeks will help Mrs May reach out to more liberal, left-wing supporters.
Bright Blue's new campaign on tree planting has been covered in BusinessGreen. Our senior researcher Sam Hall is quoted calling for a more ambitious mechanism for incentivising tree planting after Brexit.
Here's an excerpt:
A new campaign launched today by Conservative think tank Bright Blue and supported by the National Trust, WWF and others is calling on the next government to address England's relatively low levels of tree coverage by establishing a much more ambitious tree planting grant scheme for farmers.
Bright Blue senior researcher Sam Hall is quoted in Utility Week about onshore wind. He says onshore wind should have access to zero-subsidy fixed-price contracts to decarbonise cost-effectively.
Here's an excerpt:
Responding to the new Baringa Partners report, the thinktank’s senior researcher, Sam Hall, said: “This study shows significant potential to develop new zero-subsidy onshore wind projects in the UK."
Bright Blue senior researcher Sam Hall is quoted in the Independent about the decoupling of emissions and economic growth. He argues that strong decarbonisation policies help to give a competitive advantage in new low-carbon industries.
Here's an excerpt:
Indeed, far from harming the UK’s competitiveness, ambitious decarbonisation has in fact given us a new competitive advantage in new low-carbon industries, such as electric vehicles and offshore wind.
Bright Blue's senior researcher Sam Hall is quoted in Bloomberg in a story about the future of renewable energy targets after Brexit. He argues that our polling shows Conservatives want these targets, along with all the main EU environmental regulations, to be maintained.
Here's an excerpt:
“There is no mandate from Conservatives to dilute current environmental regulation," said Sam Hall, senior researcher at Bright Blue.
Bright Blue senior researcher Sam Hall is interviewed about onshore wind in the context of the new report. He argues that Conservative voters are now open to further onshore wind development.
Here's an excerpt:
“There have been a handful of prominent and loud climate sceptics, who have been linked to the Conservative Party and our report shows they are not representative of most mainstream Conservative voters."
Bright Blue's new report "Green conservatives? Understanding what conservatives think about the environment" is covered in the Guardian. The report shows that most Conservatives voters want EU environmental regulations at least maintained after Brexit.
Here's an excerpt:
Significant majorities of Conservative voters want EU environmental regulations to be maintained or even strengthened in the wake of Brexit, a poll carried out for the Tory thinktank Bright Blue has found.
Bright Blue senior researcher Sam Hall is quoted in Business Green on air quality post-Brexit. He calls for the Industrial Emissions Directive to be maintained after we leave the EU to help the coal phase-out.
Here's an excerpt:
Sam Hall, senior researcher at conservative thinktank Bright Blue, told BusinessGreen the UK should look to retain the IED after Brexit.
Bright Blue senior researcher Sam Hall is quoted in BusinessGreen about reports the Government will introduce new low emission zones across England. He welcomed the news and said they were an effective way to target air pollution reductions.
Here's an excerpt:
Sam Hall, senior researcher at liberal Conservative think tank Bright Blue, said it was "great news" that the government was planning to set up low emission zones across the UK.
Bright Blue senior researcher Sam Hall is quoted in the Daily Mail welcoming the fall in emissions in 2016. He calls on the Government to bring forward the coal phase-out date.
Here's an excerpt:
Sam Hall, senior researcher at liberal conservative think tank Bright Blue, said: ‘The Government deserves serious credit for weakening the economics of coal.
Bright Blue senior researcher Sam Hall was quoted in Business Green in response to greenhouse gas statistics for 2016. He welcomed the fall and called on the Government to bring forward coal phase-out date to 2023.
Here's an excerpt:
"The government deserves serious credit for weakening the economics of coal, especially by introducing and maintaining a strong price on carbon. It now needs to finish the job and consign unabated coal to history."
Bright Blue senior researcher is quoted in the Independent about the Great Repeal Bill. He welcomes the Bill and calls on the Government to use Brexit to improve the environment.
Here's an excerpt:
“This provides important reassurance and clarity that Brexit will not lead to scaling back of popular environmental policies,” he said.
Bright Blue's senior researcher Sam Hall is quoted in a Press Association article on the 2016 greenhouse gas emissions statistics. He welcomed the fall in emissions and called on the Government to bring forward the date of the coal phase-out.
Here's an excerpt:
"Rather than waiting until the end of 2025, the remaining coal-fired power stations should be closed by at least 2023 to bring forward investment in new, cleaner capacity."
Bright Blue Senior Researcher Sam Hall is quoted in a Press Association article about air pollution near schools. He calls for city councils to have the powers and funding required to introduce low emission zones to protect children's health.
Here's an excerpt:
English cities should be given more power to ban cars in order to protect children from illegal levels of air pollution, a government think tank says.
