Cameron pledges 'green taxes'

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He hailed a report from the Tory Quality of Life Policy Group as the most "thoughtful and comprehensive" response of any political party to the challenge of climate change.

And in a bid to blunt attacks from Labour and the Tory right, he announced that additional revenue from taxes on pollution would go into an independently-audited fund and used only to cut family taxes.

The wide-ranging report was commissioned by Mr Cameron and co-authored by former Tory environment secretary John Gummer and wealthy ecologist and would-be MP Zac Goldsmith.

Key recommendations include higher taxes on short-haul flights and gas-guzzling cars, a moratorium on airport expansions and curbs on energy-wasting household goods.

The report also called for rebates on stamp duty and council tax for people who make environmentally-friendly improvements to their properties, with a 0% stamp duty rate for zero-carbon homes. And it proposed a clampdown on energy-wasting stand-by lights and a cap on energy use by domestic appliances.

The authors also invited controversy by recommending a switch from gross domestic product to the green-backed Happy Planet Index to reflect their belief that increased income does not necessarily boost happiness.

The plans are not binding on Mr Cameron but he said many would be adopted as official party policy.

During a walkabout at a London wildlife centre, Mr Cameron said: "This report is probably the most thoughtful and comprehensive that any party in Britain has produced on the environment. It is a very good report and there is much of it that we will include in our manifesto."

He continued: "We cannot go on as we are in terms of the way we run the government, in terms of the way we live our lives, and we have to make real changes. What that means is actually creating incentives, which this report is all about, to help people make greener choices and to give them the chance to make greener choices. This report is not about banning things. It is about giving people opportunities and choices."