IPCC Report Starkest Wake Up Call Yet

17 August 2021

Commenting on the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, Bath MP Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for the Climate Emergency, said: “From flash floods in London to record-breaking heat waves in other European countries, we are seeing the harsh reality of the climate crisis. We must build a future without carbon emissions now.”

Wera Hobhouse said:

“While the Prime Minister still hasn’t woken up to the climate threat, the Liberal Democrats have. Our green recovery plan would create jobs and cut emissions to net zero, taking on Britain’s global responsibility as one of the richest countries in the world and one of its historic carbon emitters.

“Bath & North East Somerset Council declared a Climate Emergency in 2019, and in its Climate Emergency Update Report identified three clear areas for change: Housing, Energy Generation and Transport.”

Wera Hobhouse went on to say: “UK homes are some of the worst quality in Europe in terms of energy usage; 2.5 million live in fuel poverty due to poor insulation and heat loss. But the Conservatives scrapped zero-carbon home standards in 2016, then ditched their own Green Homes Grant after chronic mismanagement. We need an emergency 10-year programme to upgrade insulation in every home and to ensure that new homes are built to zero-carbon standards. A green home building programme will create thousands of new green jobs, helping our recovery from the pandemic.

“We need a clear plan to heat our existing homes without fossil fuel gas. Yet the Tories stopped development of onshore wind farms and slashed subsidies for solar power, when instead we should be developing as much renewable energy as possible.

“On transport, at least, the Prime Minister is an advocate for cycling, although it is reported that the rest of the Cabinet don’t share his enthusiasm. The Transport Minister made it quite plain that by 2030, half of all journeys will need to be made via active travel, i.e. walking and cycling, if we are to make a significant reduction in carbon emissions. Yet across the country communities are rejecting cycling infrastructure where it replaces the space for cars. Where is the leadership when it is needed?

“In hosting COP26, the UK has a unique opportunity to bring the global community together to agree on tough climate action. If this government doesn’t wake up to the severity of the crisis we face, COP26 will be remembered as the conference where the world stood still as the earth burned around us.”