North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson joined Christian Aid supporters to discuss climate change and other environmental issues as part of the charity's 'Hunger for Justice' campaign.
Climate change is already driving hunger, conflict and extreme weather conditions in some of the poorest countries across the world. This past year has also brought home the reality of climate change in Britain as severe flooding hit the South West region.
The Government has already taken a number of measures to tackle climate change:
- The Energy Act will attract up to £110 billion of investment in clean, low-carbon energy, supporting up to 250,000 jobs
- Developed Europe's first Green Investment Bank to lever billions of pounds of investment
- The UK’s share of electricity generated from renewable sources has doubled since 2010.
- The UK is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80 per cent by 2050
- UK is legally committed and well on course to meeting 15% of the UK’s energy demand from renewable sources by 2020.
- Helping people make their homes more energy efficient via the Green Deal
- Green Deal helps households install measures to make their homes more energy efficient
- Green Deal Communities scheme, to fund local authorities, working with community groups, to introduce green measures across streets. 403,000 homes were made more energy efficient in 2013 because of the Energy Company Obligation and Green Deal
- The Government has set aside £1 billion to support developing technologies to trap carbon emissions released by making electricity.
Justin Tomlinson MP said: "I am pleased that the Government has continued its pledge to be the greenest in history as it stands firm on its commitment to tackle climate change and remains on course to reduce the UK's carbon emissions by 80% before 2050. I am also pleased that the Prime Minister is taking this issue seriously - he was the only Western Leader to attend the UN Climate Change Conference earlier this year which set out aims for a further 40% global reduction in carbon emissions, a matter he will press at the UN's Paris Climate Change Summit next year”
