IT is absolutely vital we protect our environment for future generations, writes Redditch MP Rachel Maclean.
It’s simply not right that we allow future generations to suffer from our failure to protect the environment and our planet.
Watching the news recently I’m sure you saw the thousands of schoolchildren from around the world take part in a protest to raise awareness of climate change. Some pupils here in Redditch even took part.
There is a lot I agree on with the protesters.
I was struck by a comment one of the schoolchildren made which was ‘there is no Planet B’.
They’re absolutely right, which is why we must do everything possible tackle climate change head on.
However, I had to vehemently disagree with the protesters when they claimed the UK was doing nothing to tackle climate change.
The simple fact is we are.
The Government is proving it is possible to reduce emissions while growing the economy, boosting productivity, creating jobs and investing record levels in renewable technologies.
The Government is also working to set a date for reducing our emissions to zero.
By investing in green industries and decarbonising our economy we will leave the environment in a better state for the next generation.
We’re doing this by working to set a date by which the UK will reduce our emissions to zero, ensuring cleaner air for the next generation, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 23 per cent since 2010, reducing emissions faster than any other G20 country and by investing more than £52billion in renewable energy since 2010.
2018 was also the greenest year to date for electricity generation, with renewable sources supplying 33 per cent of electricity in 2018, up from 6.7 per cent in 2009.
There is always more to do, but it’s wrong to claim our Government is standing by and not doing anything.
