North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson has met with representatives from the Swindon Climate Action Network to discuss matters relating to the environment.
Justin regularly meets with the group, made up of local residents from across the town, to hear their ideas & concerns about environmental issues and to provide updates on the work the Government is doing.
As part of the meeting, the group discussed the Government's 'Clean Growth Strategy', an ambitious strategy to cut emissions while keeping costs down for consumers, creating good jobs and growing the economy.
The UK is a world leader in cutting emissions while growing the economy. Provisional statistics indicate that UK emissions in 2016 were 42% lower than in 1990 and 6% below those in 2015.
At the same time, the UK’s GDP has increased by 67% since 1990 showing that a strong, growing economy can go hand in hand with reduced emissions. On a per person basis, this means that we have reduced emissions faster than any other G7 nation and led the G7 group in growth in national income over the period. More information about the details of the Strategy can be found below.
Additionally, Justin provided the group with an update on the steps the Government is taking to improve the natural environment.
Prior to the meeting, the Environment Secretary Michael Gove announced that the Government was to ban the use of neonicotinoid pesticides, which evidence shows have been killing bees and harming the pollination of crops.
Furthermore, the Government has drawn up plans to ban the ivory trade in the UK. The ban is hoped to have a significant impact on the demand for ivory products and stop the illegal poaching of elephants. The plans put the UK at the forefront of global efforts to address the drastic decline in the elephant population. The global demand for ivory poses a great threat to the world's elephant population, with around 20,000 elephants slaughtered every year to satisfy the demand.
This has been something Justin have campaigned on heavily since my election to parliament, including leading debates and working with the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
The Government has also announced tougher sentences for animal cruelty. Those found guilty of abusing or neglecting animals can now be sentenced for up to 5 years in jail, a significant increase from the previous six month maximum sentence. The Environment Secretary, Michael Gove, took the decision after listening to concerns raised by Justin and charities including the RSPCA and Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.
In August the Government introduced legislation to make it mandatory for all slaughterhouses to have CCTV in order to prevent animals being mistreated, and in July proposals to ban plastic microbeads found in many cosmetic products were announced - both issues Justin has personally taken up with relevant ministers.
Justin Tomlinson MP said: "It was fantastic to welcome SCAN to my community office for one of our regular meetings. As a massive 'greenie', it's always good to sit down with SCAN and discuss what more we can do to protect the environment. We had a very positive discussion about the Government's new Clean Growth Strategy, which will see us drive down carbon emissions, investing in green technology and creating new highly skilled jobs. It was also a pleasure to update the group on a wide range of announcements made by the Government in recent weeks; from increasing the maximum sentence for animal cruelty, to banning neonicotinoid pesticides which are killing the bee population & harming the pollination of vital crops".
The Clean Growth Strategy - Key Information
Measures set out in the Strategy include funding through the BEIS Energy Innovation Programme of:
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up to £10 million for innovations that provide low carbon heat in domestic and commercial buildings
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up to £10 million for innovations that improve the energy efficiency of existing buildings
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an extra £14 million for the Energy Entrepreneurs Fund, including a new sixth fund
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up to £20 million in a Carbon Capture and Utilisation demonstration programme
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up to £20 million to demonstrate the viability of switching to low carbon fuels for industry
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up to £20 million to support clean technology early stage funding
Further measures include commitments to:
Business and industry efficiency
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develop a package of measures to support businesses to improve their energy productivity, by at least 20% by 2030
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establish an Industrial Energy Efficiency scheme to help large companies install measures to cut their energy use and their bills
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demonstrate international leadership in carbon capture usage and storage (CCUS), by collaborating with our global partners and investing up to £100 million in leading edge CCUS and industrial innovation to drive down costs
Improving our homes
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support around £3.6 billion of investment to upgrade around a million homes through the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), and extend support for home energy efficiency improvements from 2022 to 2028 at least at the current level of ECO funding
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we want all fuel poor homes to be upgraded to Energy Performance Certificate Band C by 2030 and our aspiration is for as many homes as possible to be Energy Performance Certificate Band C by 2035 where practical, cost effective and affordable
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develop a long term trajectory to improve the energy performance standards of privately-rented homes, with the aim of upgrading as many private rented homes as possible to Energy Performance Certificate Band C by 2030 where practical, cost effective and affordable
Low carbon transport
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the government has announced an end to the sale of all new conventional petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2040
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spend £1 billion supporting the take-up of ultra low emission vehicles, including helping consumers to overcome the upfront cost of an electric car
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develop one of the best electric vehicle charging networks in the world
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work with industry as they develop an Automotive Sector Deal to accelerate the transition to zero emission vehicles
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invest around £841 million of public funds in innovation in low carbon transport technology and fuels
Clean, affordable energy
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phase out the use of unabated coal to produce electricity by 2025
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provide up to half a billion pounds for further Contract for Difference auctions for less established technologies, such as offshore wind, with the next one planned for spring 2019
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work with industry as they develop an ambitious Sector Deal for offshore wind, which could result in 10 gigawatts of new capacity, with the opportunity for additional deployment if this is cost effective, built in the 2020s
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deliver new nuclear power through Hinkley Point C and progress discussions with developers to secure a competitive price for future projects in the pipeline
Agriculture and natural resources
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as we leave the EU, design a new system of future agricultural support to focus on delivering better environmental outcomes, including addressing climate change more directly
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establish a new network of forests in England including new woodland on farmland, and fund larger-scale woodland and forest creation, in support of our commitment to plant 11 million trees, and increase the amount of UK timber used in construction
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work towards our ambition for zero avoidable waste by 2050, maximising the value we extract from our resources, and minimising the negative environmental and carbon impacts associated with their extraction, use and disposal
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publish a new Resources and Waste Strategy to make the UK a world leader in terms of competitiveness, resource productivity and resource efficiency
If you'd like to learn more about the Government's 'Clean Growth Strategy' then please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/clean-growth-strategy/clean-growth-strategy-executive-summary#our-clean-growth-strategy
