Electric vehicles - Lichfield Liberal Democrats would be ambitious in reducing carbon emissions

Jamie Christie, one of the Lichfield Liberal Democrat candidates in May's elections, says "I was very disappointed to hear recent Conservative comments that promoting electric vehicles is misguided. Climate change is one of the most important problems facing us today. If elected, I and other Liberal Democrats would keep pushing for more ambitious action in Lichfield to reduce carbon emissions."

Lichfield District Council have set a target to have "net zero" emissions by 2035, which is an admirable aim that we fully support. But progress has been very slow, and recent comments by a Lichfield Councillor have shown that the Conservative council are dangerously out of touch with the realities of the climate emergency.

Lichfield Live reports that Cllr Marshall said that "people are being led up the garden path" by the Government's drive to net zero and that promoting electric vehicles is "misguided".

The Liberal Democrats completely reject this. Including the energy spent manufacturing them and generating the electricity to run them, electric vehicles are better for the environment than petrol or diesel cars which continue to emit pollution throughout their lifetimes. Electric vehicles are not a magic solution, but they are a vital part of a future in which our carbon emissions are much lower. Lichfield Liberal Democrats have already proposed that the Council require all registered taxis to be electric or hybrid by a certain date, as is happening in London.

We all have our part to play in leaving younger generations a world worth living in, and we will be bold and hard-working to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.