The Government Stance on Climate Change

Under Tony Blair’s Labour government, UK Carbon emissions increased by 2% from between the years 1997 and 2006. Some years later, David Cameron’s Conservative government took more action and met records for the reduction in emissions and increased the investment of clean energy. The UK has become an increasingly technical nation, and there has been a shift from manufacturing to providing technical services in the economy. As a result, the UK has seen the closure of many factories. Under the previous Conservative government, coal is being forced off the grid and renewable energy investment has soared. In addition, under the last government, more households have been recycling. The UK government has been heavily involved in the Paris Agreement, where many leading countries came together to discuss the climate change crisis. Famously, each country had promised to cap their emissions to 2%. Despite Trump’s later withdrawal of the USA from the Paris Agreement in 2017, the UK government has remained committed to meet this target, condemning his move. Now, climate change is a major issue that is taken as seriously as the NHS and the economy. This was clear during the recent general election in 2019 as all major parties addressed it. The Conservatives promised to cut carbon emissions completely by 2050, whilst Labour claimed it needs to be done by 2030. The Green Party, “The Conservatives promised to cut carbon emissions completely by 2050, whilst Labour claimed it needs to be done by 2030” Historically, it is no myth that climate change has not been at the forefront of the government’s agenda. It’s only recently that climate change has been a major topic of debate, as more and more people become aware of its impact. HE GOVERNMENT STANCE ON CLIMATE CHANGE T IMPACT10

leading the fight for climate action, wanted this to be brought forward to 2030, which would mean a ban on petrol and diesel vehicles. The Labour Party, according to ‘Friends of the Earth’, had been the strongest in their policies to tackle climate change. But with the Conservatives claiming a landslide victory, they will now be responsible in leading the fight to ‘save our planet’.

Boris Johnson looks set to prioritise “getting Brexit done”. However, the returning Prime Minister will need to quickly address key green policy concerns. For example, passing the Environmental Bill into law and confirming the government’s decision on banning fracking. Safa Shahid Page Design by Beth Dunnett