WWF Comment on Queen's Speech
Commenting on today's Queen's Speech, Ben Stafford, Head of Public Affairs at WWF-UK, said:
“There is relatively little environmental content in the last Queen's Speech from the Government that set out to be the 'greenest ever'.
“However, we welcome the statement that Ministers will champion efforts to secure a global agreement on climate change. They need to do so, as climate change is one of the greatest threats to both people and nature, and the time for action is now.
“The Government could send a strong and positive signal about its intentions in this area by announcing that it accepts the recommendations of the Committee on Climate Change on the fourth carbon budget. Doing so would underline its international leadership credentials, and be a huge boost to a low carbon sector that already employs almost a million people in the UK.
“The remaining months of this Parliament are also the opportunity for the Government – and the Opposition parties – to set out their stall for the years ahead. We'd like to hear Ministers, from the Prime Minister down, giving their vision for climate change leadership, environmental restoration and the development of the green economy if they're back in government after the General Election.”
Infrastructure Bill
Commenting on proposals to allow developers to offset carbon emissions from new homes once they had been built, Zoe Leader, Climate and Energy Specialist at WWF-UK, said:
“It is incredibly disappointing that the Government is allowing such a get-out for developers.
“Reducing the environmental impact of our housing is critical for meeting our carbon emission obligations and helping keep customer energy bills down. Today's announcement is a lose-lose situation for the environment and for people.”
