UK 'must go green' despite oil prices and cost of living - Cameron

David Cameron today said the UK had to "go green" in the face of rises in oil prices and the cost of living.

In a speech to environmentalists, Mr Cameron insisted that protecting the environment was a "necessity" and not a "luxury" that could only be afforded in the good times.

The Tory leader vowed his party would not drop its environmental agenda because of the economic downtown - but said he would not neglect the financial pressures on people.

With oil prices approaching 140 dollars (£70), Britain must "wean" itself off fossil fuels, he warned.

And while he stressed his commitment to "green" taxes, he said that he would not ignore the problems created when times are hard.

Cash raised from measures aimed at improving environmental behaviour would be put into a separate "Family Fund" for tax relief for families, he pledged.

"We are not going to drop the environmental agenda in an economic downturn. But neither will we ignore the rising cost of living and the fact that people are hurting," he said.

"I understand that right now the cost of living is the number one concern for Britain's families. And I understand, with that backdrop, why people might think fighting climate change seems a costly diversion.

"The truth is: it's not that we can't afford to go green - it's that we can't afford not to go green.

"The era of cheap oil is well and truly over. So whether we need to cut our carbon or not - which we do; whether you believe in climate change or not - which you should: for the sake of our future prosperity and our current cost of living, we must wean ourselves off fossil fuels and go green."

Outlining the Conservative party's Blue/Green Charter, Mr Cameron called for new standards on carbon emissions to ensure coal-fired power stations could not be built without measures to trap CO2 and to encourage the development of "greener" cars.

He also said he wanted to see greater energy security and that a Tory government would make research and development into tidal power in Britain a priority.

And they would encourage micro-renewables - boosted by feed-in tariffs which would pay people a guaranteed price for small-scale power creation from sources such as wind and solar, he said.

"We've got to wake up to the fact that relying on oil and gas isn't just bad for our wallets, isn't just bad for our environment, it's also bad for our national security," he warned.

Mr Cameron said he would introduce measures to boost energy efficiency in the home and develop a long term national transport plan to benefit the economy and the environment.

And he criticised the government's approach to Heathrow airport, saying the argument that a third runway was vital for the UK economy fell apart if scrutinised.

He said the most important priority for Heathrow was making it bigger, not better.