A bill tabled by Caroline Lucas MP (Green) with cross-party support is being proposed in parliament today. MPs from Labour, SNP, Plaid Cymru, Liberal Democrats and SDLP intend to vote for it.
On Twitter, the Climate & Ecological Emergency Bill Alliance said ‘We cannot afford another decade of inaction. MPs need to pass the #CEEbill as soon as possible. #ClimateAction“
The Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill aim to close gaps on existing net-zero targets proposed in the 2008 Climate Change Act which aims to reduce carbon emissions to net-zero by 2050. It is now part of the 1.5c target accepted at the Paris Climate agreement. At present – supply chains, aviation and shipping do not fall within the CCA 2008. The Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill is a measure to include them as part of the target among other items that seek to ensure the government is more specific with its net-zero carbon emissions targets.
The bill also supports natural climate solutions as a means to capture carbon, which includes “…but is not restricted to, reforestation, sustainable land management, and the restoration of wetlands, peat bogs and coastal ecosystems…”.
The bill will seek to require that the UK government be legally required to calculate the health of the UK’s ecosystems as well as reforest areas, it’s soils and “biodiverse habitats and ecosystems, and reduce its overall anthropogenic impact, provided that those measures do not prevent or prejudice the achievement of the objectives.”
The bill is one of the first orders of business in parliament today.
Stanisland Magazine 