100 MPs have backed the climate and ecological emergency bill. Here’s why

Tackling the climate emergency should be at the centre of everything that we, as a party, aim to do. This crisis is an existential threat to all of us, and time is running out. The signs are already all around us, from wildfires in Australia and California to rising sea levels across the globe. We feel the effects here in the UK, with extreme weather events like flooding becoming more widespread. And, of course, it is marginalised communities who are disproportionately affected.

The coronavirus pandemic has shown us that in an emergency, governments can take wide-ranging, previously unthinkable action to protect us all. As restrictions lift and we rebuild from the devastation, it’s not enough for us to be going back to normal, because normal was broken – for our society and our planet.

Covid created a dent in global emissions, which reduced by almost 8% in the first half of 2020 alone. But as societies start to reopen, there’s a real danger they will shoot right back up. We must seize this chance to transform our economic system and its impact on the natural world. Our recovery should be a green one right from the start. And as the UK prepares to host COP26 in November, we must be at the forefront of the international push to prevent further damage to our planet.

That’s why I am proud to co-sponsor the climate and ecological emergency bill. This is a groundbreaking proposal that would commit the UK to playing its part in limiting global heating to 1.5°C while restoring the country’s ecological landscape. With 100 MPs now supporting the CEE bill – the #climate100 – there’s a growing parliamentary caucus demanding urgent action on the climate and ecological emergency.

Of course, this wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work of thousands of campaigners calling on their representatives to act. This milestone should give us cause for hope, but we need many more to back the CEE bill to stand a chance of changing government policy.

There’s a long way to go. In May 2019, parliament declared a climate and ecological emergency, but this is meaningless without comprehensive legislation. The government makes weekly promises to address the crisis, but its actions fall far short of what is needed, with ministers not even on track to meet their own targets.

The climate change committee’s 2020 progress report found that only two of the 31 milestones for recommended actions have been fully achieved, with partial progress made on 15. 14 recommended actions, from planting new forests to insulating lofts, showed no progress at all. The UK is also failing to meet 17 out of 20 biodiversity targets that were set back in 2010.

46 Labour MPs now back the CEE bill, and it was encouraging to see our shadow environment, food and rural affairs team draw inspiration from it when tabling amendments to the (now delayed) environment bill. But we can’t be satisfied with minor changes to inadequate government proposals. We need a complete restructuring of our economy. We need systemic change. The CEE bill would be a huge step forward in the right direction.

The CEE bill is the only legislation that would ensure the UK meets its obligations to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C in line with the Paris agreement, while also conserving nature here in the UK. Importantly, the bill would also create a citizens’ assembly to empower local communities and put them at the heart of the shift to a zero-carbon society.

For too long, those at the top have ignored the scale of the climate-nature crisis, failing to tackle the root causes of the emergency and shutting people out of decision-making. We need to give citizens a real say in the transition towards a sustainable, healthier future. The CEE bill provides a means to do this.

The last Labour government led the world in passing the Climate Change Act 2008 – but it was not enough. The CEE bill is a chance for us to make history again and play a concrete role in averting climate disaster. But it will only be implemented with a powerful movement behind it. The #climate100 are listed on the CEE bill website: if your MP is not yet a supporter, why not write to them and ask them to back the legislation? Every day of inaction counts in this battle for our future. But together, across the labour movement, we can make real change happen.