Protecting the environment is part of my plan for Broxtowe and therefore I am very grateful to have been contacted regarding environmental protections after the Covid-19 crisis.
As we emerge from the Covid-19 crisis the Government should ensure the economy is stronger, greater, more sustainable and more resilient. This will not only protect jobs but also add more employment opportunities.
I was pleased that on 8 June, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy announced the Green Recovery working group, one of five new ‘recovery roundtables’ which brings together businesses, business representative groups and leading academics to unleash Britain’s potential and to help the economy recover from the pandemic. The group will explore how to capture the economic growth opportunities from the shift to net-zero emissions.
The Chancellor’s Summer Statement of a £3 billion green investment package that could help support around 140,000 green jobs and upgrade buildings and reduce emissions is a positive step. Furthermore, to pay for green improvements, including loft, wall and floor insulation, homeowners and landlords in England will be able to apply for vouchers from a £2 billion Green Homes Grant scheme this year which could save some households hundreds of pounds a year on their energy bills while creating thousands of jobs for tradespeople. Finally, the Chancellor also announced a £1 billion programme aimed to make public buildings, including schools and hospitals, greener, helping the UK meet its ambitions of achieving net-zero by 2050.
The UK has played a vital role in tackling climate change and the transition to Clean Growth, with the UK being the first country to legislate eliminate our contribution to climate change by 2050, and the fastest in the G20 to cut emissions. Since 1990, the UK has cut emissions by more than 40 per cent while growing the economy by more than two thirds, and we are a world-leader in offshore wind.
The Environment Bill is being introduced to protect and improve the environment for future generations, enshrining in law environmental principles and legally-binding targets, and the first progress report of the Government’s ambitious 25 Year Environment Plan found that 90 per cent of the priority actions have been delivered or are on track for delivery.
Reducing carbon emissions and tackling climate change will continue to be a priority for my Ministerial colleagues and I.
