This week marked 6 years since Parliament declared an environment and climate change emergency. That urgency hasn’t faded—it’s only grown louder. Yet the UK’s policies, plans and laws resemble “business as usual”: not the emergency response that’s needed.
The Climate and Nature Bill, one of our best shots at tackling the root causes of the emergency, was kicked into the long grass on 24 January when its debate was adjourned.
I’m now calling on every MP to sign Early Day Motion 1184 to push the CAN Bill back onto the agenda. And I’m urging you, as a Zero Hour supporter, to email your MP today—and ask them to add their name.
👉 EMAIL YOUR MP NOW 👈
The stakes couldn’t be higher. The Environment Secretary, Steve Reed, admits Britain’s nature is among the world’s most depleted. The Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, warns that breaching 1.5°C risks floods, economic chaos, and security threats.
These aren’t distant hypotheticals. They’re hurting communities now—from farmers battling erratic weather, to coastal towns facing rising seas—as well people across the world, from the USA to the Pacific Island states.
The CAN Bill is our answer: legally-binding targets to limit warming to 1.5°C and reverse nature loss by 2030—aligned with the UK’s global agreements —and an end to the siloed thinking that holds back progress; as the Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, has rightly acknowledged.
The Government claims to get it. The Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband, pledged to work with Zero Hour and the Bill’s backers—promising action on some of the Bill’s objectives—as well as an annual climate and nature statement.
But “talk is cheap”, as the Nature Minister, Mary Creagh, said in January. Words aren’t enough—we need new law. Ministers themselves say binding targets drive investment, fix market failures, and deliver results. So why the delay?
The CAN Bill must be rescheduled, as the Government’s own motion to ‘adjourn’ the debate in January said would happen. Failure to do so will endanger our future and cast doubt on this Government’s commitment to this critical issue.
MPs: PLEASE sign EDM 1184
Let’s show we’re serious about the emergency we declared in 2019. Show we’re listening to our constituents, who want action, not excuses.
To everyone reading this: Please let your MP know that signing this EDM matters to you. And that the CAN Bill isn’t just sensible policy—it’s about a liveable future. It’s food on our tables, homes safe from flooding, a country more secure in a rapidly changing climate.
We’re out of time for half-measures. The crisis is here, on our doorstep. Let’s have this debate, because it’s our children and our grandchildren’s future that depends on it.
