SERA is today launching our “Parliamentary Candidate Pack” full of useful facts and figures about the environment, Labour’s plans for Government, why you can’t trust the Tories, LibDems, Greens or UKIP on the environment and a handy A-Z for hustings.

I’m Executive member of SERA, a Labour Parliamentary candidate, and a life-long environmental campaigner. I used to run my own business, the “Red and Green” plant nursery. When people visited they thought the name had something to do with the colour of the front door and looked astonished when I told them it was because my politics were both Red and Green. I remain committed to that view today. I understand that climate change is real, man-made and happening and I know that only a Labour Government will show the leadership and take the necessary action to safeguard the future of our planet.

David Cameron promised to lead “the greenest government ever”, he said “vote blue, go green”, he hugged a husky and changed the Tory logo from a fossil fuel burning torch to a lovely oak tree. But it was all PR. This Government has overseen chaotic cuts to solar pow delays to the Green Investment Bank, a rush to fracking and ministers questioning the value of laws which give us better air quality, cleaner beaches and wildlife protection.

They even tried to sell off the nation’s forests – backed as usual by the LibDem MP for Cambridge on one of the 782 occasions he voted with the Tories. Don’t let the LibDems greenwash you!

This government are also mistaken in the belief that there is a trade-off between protecting British jobs and tackling climate change. I recently hosted a summit in Cambridge with representatives of the cleantech sector who know this is simply not the case. Supporting our low-carbon industries, creating new high skilled, well paid jobs while transforming our environment, is an essential part of a strategy to earn our way out of the cost-of-living crisis. It’s a win-win approach, but will need a Labour Government, the right leadership and right regulatory framework to make it happen.

In 2015, the year of the UN Paris Climate Change Conference, ensuring we have a Labour Government really is vital for our environment. I’ll be using my SERA Parliamentary pack at hustings meetings coming up, to spread Labour’s positive message and I hope you will too.

If you are a Labour candidate and would like to request a pack please email [email protected]

Daniel Zeichner is a member of SERA’s National Executive and the Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Cambridge.