Politicians declared a climate and ecological emergency.
So what are they doing about it?
The easy answer to that question would be ‘not enough – and too slowly’! But let’s accentuate the positives.
So here are Parliament’s 2008 Climate Change Act (amended in 2019), and the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill: a Private Member’s Bill, first presented to Parliament in September 2020, calling for more rapid decarbonisation of the UK and a Citizens’ Assembly to decide how best to achieve it. Andy Slaughter MP has expressed cautious support; Greg Hands MP has declined to do so. Here, too, are key books by Ann Pettifor and Naomi Klein about the Green New Deal - a plan for a government-funded rapid and 'just transition' from a fossil fuel economy to a zero carbon one.
As for LBHF, here you can read about our council’s original declaration of a Climate and Ecological Emergency (in July 2019) – and find out about the resident-led Climate and Ecological Emergency Commission.
To make radical changes, politicians need our support. Let’s keep pressing our MPs and councillors to act now.