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- Press Release
The First 100 Days: Labour’s Track Record on the Climate and Environment
During the election, Greenpeace published a climate and nature checklist for all political parties. This briefing measures the Labour government’s progress against this over the first hundred days of being in power. Commenting on the first 100 days, Greenpeace UK’s Co-Executive Director Areeba Hamid said: “Keir Starmer’s government has got off to a strong start despite some missteps along the way. Within days it put wind in the sails of onshore windfarms, boosted budgets for renewables and stepped back from the last government’s attempts to ‘max out’ the North Sea and open a new coal mine. The Chancellor’s Budget will be a key test of whether it can unlock the investment needed to transform the UK into a clean energy superpower, make buses and trains affordable and provide training for the jobs of tomorrow. “The UK has sought to reclaim some of its leadership on climate and nature on the world stage, but several key tests wait just around the corner. Key appointments and promising words from the Foreign Secretary will need to be transformed into action – not least by coming up with a real plan for protecting Britain’s wild places and ratifying the Global Ocean Treaty. “This government has shown it’s willing to be tougher on water companies that continue to pollute our seas and waterways, although there remains more to do. And it now needs to get tough on those other serial polluters – the fossil fuel companies that have reneged on climate action while running up record profits. Taxing these companies properly is the key to supporting communities at home and abroad that are already suffering flooding, wildfires and storms. Accelerating climate impacts like the devastating hurricanes in the US, and our disappearing landscapes and wildlife, all demand bold action from a government with the courage to face down vested interests and deliver the change people voted for. “There is huge potential still to unlock money for jobs, lower people’s bills and reign in fossil fuel and agribusiness companies. The solutions are just waiting to be implemented.” Energy Within days of coming into power, the new government ended the de facto ban on building new onshore windfarms and also approved three large solar farms that had previously been blocked by the Conservative government. The government also accepted that North Sea oil and gas exploration has reached the end of the road, set up the state owned renewable energy company Great British Energy, and committed to decarbonising the power sector and making Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030 – one of its five big missions. Funding for renewables was also increased at the most recent renewables auction – but not enough to stay on track with the government’s 2030 target. The government may be reviewing Treasury restrictions on investment in infrastructure, a much-needed change, but is apparently maintaining the UK’s unjustifiable optimism about nuclear and carbon capture and storage for energy, and has committed billions of pounds that could be better spent. Priorities – Upgrade the electricity grid which is proving a bottleneck to achieving its goal to decarbonise the UK economy by 2030. – Increase funding and set conditions at the 2025 auction for renewable energy to make sure the government meets its decarbonisation target by the end of the decade. Workers Making the most of the potential for green growth to create jobs means we need the government to support workers training for the industries of the future. That means investment. At Port Talbot, loss-making steel blast furnaces have been closed down. It’s good that cleaner electric furnaces are planned, but negotiations failed to deliver an economic future for the community where thousands of jobs were lost. Measures to strengthen the position and prospects of workers in high-carbon industries are necessary both to prevent a repeat of the experience of coal mining communities in the ‘80s, and to spread the economic opportunities of decarbonisation throughout society and undermine the fearmongering of those resisting the changes we need. Priorities – Support workers into jobs in the industries of the future. The government should allocate £1.9b a year to introduce a dedicated training fund for offshore oil and gas workers, and invest in UK manufacturing capacity so that the rollout of renewable energy results in secure, well-paid, unionised jobs here in the UK. – Increase wealth taxes on the super-rich and fossil fuel giants at the Autumn Budget to make sure they contribute to a fairer, safer and healthier future for everyone. World David Lammy used his first major address as Foreign Secretary to promise that this government will put climate and nature right at the centre of its foreign policy. It has also hosted the presidents of this year’s COP29 climate summit and COP16 biodiversity summit, and re-appointed the role of Special Representative for Climate, signalling intent to make the UK a leading player on the world stage again. Despite promises during the election and in Mr Lammy’s speech to ratify the Global Ocean Treaty, this has not happened yet. Primary legislation is required to do this, much of which has already been prepared by civil servants. This means ratification could easily be completed before the end of 2024 – setting an example to other countries around the world. Bold action is also urgently needed to help secure a Global Plastics Treaty, advocate for a moratorium on deep sea mining, and push for ambitious new climate finance at COP 29 in November. Priorities – Protect the world’s ocean. Ratify the Global Ocean Treaty into UK law well ahead of the UN Ocean Conference next June, and proactively push for a global moratorium on deep sea mining on the world stage. – Cut plastic production. The UK has recently joined 40 other countries in signing the ‘Bridge to Busan’ declaration affirming the need for production cuts. Now, the government must push for a legally binding target to cut plastic production at the final round of Global Plastics Treaty talks in November. – Tax fossil fuel companies more to support people facing the worst climate impacts. Champion a global agreement to phase out fossil fuels and make the industry pay through greater taxation to support people at home and in developing countries facing growing climate impacts. Transport Since coming to power, Labour has introduced a bill to bring the railways back into public ownership and committed to improving bus infrastructure across the country. But at the same time, the government has approved the expansion of London City Airport, undermining the UK’s climate leadership and dumping the environmental cost on some of London’s poorest communities. There has been welcome talk from ministers of returning the phaseout date for new petrol and diesel cars and vans to 2030. We need the government to focus on making public transport cheaper and better for everyone, facilitate active travel, end airport expansion and ban private jets. Priorities – Keep the fare cap for buses. Any bus journey in England is capped at £2 until the end of 2024. The government must make this cap permanent, and introduce free bus travel for under 25s. – Invest in walking and cycling infrastructureMaintain momentum in electric vehicle take up through adjusting the tax system to incentivise new EVs Water & Wildlife We are finally seeing the government get tough on the water companies whose bosses and shareholders have made fortunes while polluting our seas and waterways with sewage. Introducing the Water (Special Measures) Bill to Parliament in September, Environment Secretary Steve Reed pledged to empower regulators, ban bonuses and even jail water company bosses. The UK remains one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. While it’s disappointing that the UK has not submitted a National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan ahead of this year’s COP16 summit, we need to see the government announce a plan and a budget to protect our natural habitats before the end of the year, as promised. Time is running out for governments to deliver on their collective commitment to meet the global goal of protecting 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030 and the UK is not showing leadership yet. Priorities – Ban water company dividends. Further reform is needed to introduce legal targets on discharges in our bathing waters and most sensitive areas, and to redirect shareholder dividends to improving our water infrastructure. – Protect nature within the new planning bill. We need to build green infrastructure fast to meet the government’s net zero goals. But this must not mean trashing nature to do so. – A new Environmental Improvement Plan that meets and exceeds targets in the 2021 Environment Act – Protect 30% of land and sea by 2030. The government must establish a plan to ensure we meet this international commitment by the end of the decade. Warm homes The UK’s homes are the draughtiest and least energy efficient in western Europe. As part of its mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower, the government has promised to invest in home insulation upgrades and introduce a Warm Homes Plan. The government has also committed to expanding the Decent Homes Standard to privately rented homes by the end of the decade, meaning landlords will need to ensure that their rented properties meet at least EPC rating C. The Renters’ Rights Bill, which will introduce these new regulations, has now been introduced by the government and is currently going through Parliament. However, the removal of Winter Fuel Payments from many pensioners is compounding the problem of fuel poverty before they’ve made much concrete progress fixing it. Priorities – Publish the Warm Homes Plan and boost the funding promised to insulate the UK’s housing stock. Ensure that the costs of insulating privately rented homes are not passed on to tenants. – Help poorer households to pay costly energy bills. Energy prices are still high and poorer households are having to make the impossible decision between eating and heating. – Publish the Future Homes Standard for new homes, maintaining tough standards for thermal performance of new homes, and make mandatory solar panels and heat pumps. |