This week, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband MP, with the Environment Secretary, Steve Reed MP present, delivered the first of an annual Climate and Nature Statement in Parliament (you can watch the full statement here). But what you might not know, is that this is down to YOU!
The Statement was promised by the Government in the build up to the Climate and Nature Bill’s second reading in January. There is also this new report and a written statement here outlining actions on climate and nature agreed by the Government with Bill champion, Roz Savage MP. Not only that, but Ed Miliband MP thanked YOU, CAN Bill campaigners, and offered to meet with Zero Hour to work together in order to ‘take forward discussions’.
But we need more than statements, reports and warm words. We need the Government to deliver legally binding targets which are sufficient to deliver action and ensure we meet our international commitments.
All of this is the direct result of all of all of your tireless campaigning! It follows all of your emails, the 650 open letters sent by you to the PM, and hundreds of people like you meeting their MP as part of the ‘Act Now, Change Forever’ Mass Lobby in Westminster last week.
They heard YOUR message.
As Roz Savage outlined, “If we want to bring communities with us, we have to include them and listen to them. People across the country are already driving change – in their communities, schools, farms and businesses – to build a better, greener future. The government should be tapping into that Great British human Energy.”
In the Statement, and during the questions following, Miliband called for the return of the political consensus on climate change and called out climate denialism in parliament. He stated the importance of joined-up working on climate and nature and advocated for Britain to lead the way internationally. But we know that this can only happen if we put our international commitments into national legislation.
The Climate and Nature Statement proved that when we mobilise in our constituencies, the Government is forced to listen and respond—but warm words are not enough.
Whilst we welcome the statement, the move towards joined-up thinking between the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA); it’s not enough. We need the Climate and Nature Bill enacted into law so that we have a legally-binding strategy to deal with climate change and the loss of nature, together.
At the core of the Climate and Nature Bill is recognising that the crisis is not just about climate – it’s about climate and nature. And we can’t solve one without the other. So we welcome the move towards joined-up thinking between the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) – but the government must go further.
Nature is not a ‘nice-to-have’ – it’s our life-support system. From peatlands and woodlands to seagrass and wetlands, nature is one of the most powerful tools we have to absorb carbon, protect communities, and restore balance. We need nature-based solutions alongside technology – and nature must be given equal priority to emissions targets. In order to deliver for climate-nature we need more than statements, reports and warm words. We need Ed Miliband MP to deliver on the promise to work with those behind the bill and involve campaigners, NGOs and communities to deliver legally binding targets which are sufficient to deliver action and ensure we meet our international commitments. If the Government wants to bring people with them, they have to include you and listen to communities on the front line of the consequences.
People are tired of being told what’s going wrong. People need hope. They need to believe a better future is possible – and we all have a role in shaping it. We deserve REAL change for climate-nature in legislation.
