I’M sure you’ve seen the images of less polluted skies, clearer oceans, rivers and canals – clearly the shutdown in the world’s economy has had a dramatic impact on the environment and the planet.
With this in mind, and as well as getting the economic response and our exit strategy from the lockdown right, it’s clear we can’t return to business as usual.
At the heart of every decision our government makes moving forward should be decarbonising our economy and responding to the climate emergency. This is the task I’ve been given as a Minister in the Department for Transport and this work hasn’t stopped as we respond to coronavirus.
What guides me is the belief that our economic recovery must be as green as possible. Every stimulus package to boost our economy must be directed towards renewable energy and zero or low-carbon infrastructure and transport.
You’ve already heard me talk about Redditch becoming the first all-electric bus town in Britain – well ideas like this will have a new-found impetus as we emerge from this crisis.
We’ve seen carbon emissions fall by 18 per cent in China between February and March, and 40 per cent to 60 per cent in Europe.
While this way of cutting emissions is unsustainable, especially as economies begin to fire up again, these dramatic falls remind us how urgent the task is in front of us.
I have long championed net zero carbon emissions in the UK and returning to those images of a less polluted planet, I really do believe these pictures have had a profound impact on millions around the world.
The result is that no government will be able to return to business as usual.
All governments will have to become greener. We owe it to our children, grandchildren and future generations.
