The solutions to the climate crisis are at our fingertips. What are we waiting for?
A new study has shown that climate change will affect how the majority of Brits vote in the next general election, so we’re exploring the key changes we want the next government to make to get us on track to reach net zero.
This summer alone we’ve seen the world reach record-breaking temperatures, the Amazon burn and the Bahamas devastated by Hurricane Dorian. Closer to home we experienced t-shirt weather in February, and severe flooding across the UK. The science on climate change is clear, and the effects have never been more apparent. We are in a climate crisis, and the time is now for urgent action.
We Brits care deeply for the people, places, and natural beauty that could be lost to climate change. Concern amongst the public has never been higher — recent polling shows that 85% of people are concerned about the climate crisis.
Just after The Time Is Now, our mass lobby for climate, nature and people in the summer, the UK committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2050, setting out the latest date by which we would end our contribution to climate change as a country. While we know we can and should go further and faster, this is a positive step in the right direction. However, to reach this target, we need to crack on with getting the policies and investment in place to actually get us on track.
1. Clean Up Transport
Did you know that transport is the UK’s largest source of greenhouse gases? It’s also a major source of exposure to air pollution, causing up to 36,000 premature deaths every year. But we can’t all just ditch our cars — in many parts of the UK, public transport and cycle networks are not up to scratch.
For communities to stay connected, and enjoy cleaner air, it needs to be easier and safer for people to take public transport or cycle. This means we need investment in cycling up to the levels enjoyed in the Netherlands, and to restore, enhance, and electrify bus services throughout the country.
We also need to make it much easier and cheaper for people to switch to electric cars. This means things like adding more charging points, bringing forward the date when we phase out petrol and diesel cars, and incentives so people to switch to an electric car when they need to buy a new vehicle.
2. Make Our Homes Warmer And Cheaper To Run
How future-proofed is your home? Even with loft and cavity wall insulation, most of our current housing stock is not fit for the future. We need to make our buildings fit for a net zero future so our homes are cosier in the winter and healthier to live in. This means better insulation that prevents more heat loss and makes running them more affordable.
The way we heat our homes must also move to the 21st Century, leaving behind old gas boilers and switching to modern, clean technologies such as heat pumps.
This also means prioritising the most vulnerable. Let’s make sure that people who live in homes that leak heat, and struggle to pay their bills are helped to make the changes needed so their homes are warmer and more affordable to heat. By Christmas next year 200,000 additional low income households should be in warmer, more affordable homes, rising to over 300,000 homes each year to 2030.
3. Unleash Renewable Power
Have you heard that renewable energy sources generated more electricity than fossil fuels in August, September and October? UK renewables are now a clear success story. They are cheap, popular, and they work.
Whilst we have ramped up offshore wind, onshore wind and solar need to be rolled out more. Public support for renewable energy has never been higher with the government’s own public attitudes tracker showing that 89% of the public support solar and 79% support onshore wind.
We need to commit to increasing the sources of renewables including solar, onshore and offshore wind, with proper planning that makes sure it avoids harm to wildlife or special landscapes — and has community support. And another plus is that this will lower electricity bills for people across the country.
Clean, renewable energy to power the UK into a net zero future, what’s not to like?
4. Create Countryside That Works for People, Wildlife and the Climate
What are tall, green and great at sucking carbon dioxide from our air?
Trees!
The natural world is not just good for wildlife, it’s good for our health too. Increasing tree cover, restoring and protecting coastal areas, and maintaining healthy peatlands are remarkably effective ways to tackle climate change whilst also enhancing biodiversity.
Britain should grow its forests and tree cover significantly by 50,000–70,000 hectares a year. We can link up the woodland across the country and plant more native trees to create a network of forests that crisscross the UK, benefiting nature, people and the climate.
We need to make sure politicians unleash the potential of these solutions to the climate crisis. As we approach a general election, what are your candidates doing to make sure the UK tackles climate change?
The eyes of the world are on us, and the solutions are at our fingertips. Let’s get on with it.
