An all-party alliance against climate change has announced the Nature and Climate declaration as a call to action for politicians in UK Parliament
Almost 2,000 British politicians have united to sign Zero Hour’s Nature and Climate declaration for the protection of nature in the face of climate change – as the stakes couldn’t be higher with the climate crisis.
Zero Hour’s Nature and Climate Declaration resonates with public concerns that more needs to be done to protect nature.
Hence, the declaration aims to address the interlinked crises of ecosystem degradation and climate change in building a zero-carbon, ‘nature-positive’ UK.
Building a zero carbon, ‘nature positive’ UK
Calling for greater public engagement, MPs and peers will launch their all-party statement of action, which is a statement of consensus, necessity and shared determination to act now and avoid the worst effects of the climate crisis.
The authors say: “If we fail to limit global warming to 1.5°C, floods and fires will get more frequent and more fierce, crops will be more likely to fail, and sea levels will rise, driving mass migration as millions are forced from their homes.
“Above 1.5°C, we risk reaching climatic tipping points, meaning we could lose control of our climate for good.”
A historic moment for UK environmental politics
Zero Hour is uniquely placed to bring politicians from all parties and all nations together. In this cross-party campaign, Zero Hour is supporting the Climate & Ecology Bill – a piece of proposed legislation that would put the UK on the right path to restore nature and transition away from fossil fuels safely and fairly.
Zero Hour’s latest report – Net Zero: the Ambition Gap—was presented to MPs and Peers in Westminster on 18 October. These bills and reports are promoting the urgent need for cross-party cooperation to tackle the climate-nature crisis now.
This legislation is especially important for Rishi Sunak’s new Administration
This all-party call to action demands the UK Government to:
- Lead the charge ahead of and at the UN climate change summit, COP27 (November) and the UN biodiversity summit, COP15 (December)
- Step up and strengthen its environmental ambitions to truly become a world leader in the environment.
Additionally, the Declaration calls to:
- Fulfil its fair share of emissions reductions to ensure that the global temperature does not exceed 1.5°C
- Halt and reverse biodiversity decline by 2030, and
- Deliver a more ambitious and integrated environmental protection and decarbonisation plan.
Which politicians are signatories of the declaration?
- Daisy Cooper MP (Deputy Leader, Lib Dems)
- Lord Knight of Weymouth (Lab/Co-op)—Minister for Biodiversity (2005-06)
- Andrew Bo AM (Con)—Deputy Chair, London Assembly
- Cllr Carla Denyer (Co-Leader, Green Party)
- Cllr Andrea Davis (Con)—Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Devon County Council
- Angus Robertson MSP (SNP)—Cabinet Secretary for External Affairs, Scottish Government
- Lorna Slater MSP (Scottish Green)—Minister for Biodiversity, Scottish Government
- Dr Sandesh Gulhane MSP (Scottish Con)—Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
- Cllr Norman Hampshire (Scottish Lab)—Leader, East Lothian Council
- Cllr Steve Delaney (Scottish Lib Dems)—Depute Provost, Aberdeen City Council
- Siân Gwenllian MS (Deputy Leader, Plaid Cymru)
- Jenny Rathbone MS (Welsh Lab)—Climate Change & Environment Committee, Senedd Cymru
- Cllr Terry Mendies (Welsh Con)—Denbighshire County Council
- Cllr Gareth Morgan (Welsh Lib Dem)—Powys County Council
- Cllr Ros Gri ths-Williams (Welsh Green)—Conwy County Borough Council
- Naomi Long MLA (Leader, Alliance Party)—Minister for Justice, Northern Ireland Executive
- Colum Eastwood MP (Leader, Social Democratic and Labour Party)
- Cllr Stephen Ross (DUP)—Mayor, Antrim & Newtonabbey Borough Council
- Gerry Carroll MLA ( People Before Profit)
