"It's the economy, stupid"

Think the Green Party is only about the environment? Think again.

The Green Party is the only party that has the policies to tackle head-on the economic crisis and at the same time lay the foundations for a sustainable and fair society.

We reject as false the choice between 'economy' or the 'environment' - we CAN do both.

Our European Election manifesto set out a plan for creating 1 million jobs through investment in renewable energy, housing, public transport and social care.

We call this the Green New Deal - an approach to the economy that puts Britain firmly on the road to recovery, addresses the urgent climate crisis while improving the way we all lead our lives.(cont)

Here are just some ways the Green New Deal tackles the most pressing problems we face today:

- A new architecture for the financial system so that it serves the 'real' economy, this includes breaking up the big banks so they are no longer 'too big to fail' and a massive clampdown on tax avoidance to generate £10 billion in revenue.

- Energy efficiency measures for UK homes, schools and hospitals to create 80,000 jobs, reduce harmful emissions and cut fuel bills.

- Free social care for the elderly to improve quality of life and create 60,000 jobs.

- Massive increase in the proportion of electricity that comes from renewable sources - raising wind energy production to the same level as Denmark by 2020 would alone create 200,000 jobs.

We have a plan for tackling rising unemployment and the threat of climate change.

The message is clear - we DON'T have to choose between jobs and the environment - the Greens offer the best of both worlds.

To explore our policies - from the economy to health and animal protection - follow the links on the left or get the full EU Election Manifesto from the Downloads section.

GPEW