It will take more than positive energy to save the planet.
The climate and ecological emergencies are the defining issues of our time. It's no surprise that nearly two million people voted for the Green party at the general election.
This has giving us a strong group of four Green MPs to ensure that the government rises to the challenge of reducing our impact on the natural world, and leaving a secure future for generations to come.
For those of us who understand the scale of change needed, it’s welcome to see the new Labour government moving quickly to scrap the illogical ban on onshore wind turbines. And it’s welcome to hear that a new law will soon establish Labour’s flagship GB Energy investment vehicle.
Homes
But beyond these two headlines, Labour’s legislative programme set out in the King’s Speech falls far short of the urgent action required - especially on nature, which wasn’t mentioned once. It will take more than positive energy to save the planet.
Our four Green MPs will be challenging this government to be bolder and better on all fronts. Backed by our fully costed Green Party manifesto, we are calling for an overhaul of the climate-wrecking policies of the last Conservative government.
The Greens want to help the new government get this right, so if Labour will hear us out and take our suggestions on board then there is a lot that we can achieve together.
The King’s Speech sets out new laws to get Britain building new homes. But as the Conservatives proved, simply leaving private developers to build low quality, expensive houses undermines the foundations of a sustainable society while doing nothing to improve affordability of housing.
Planning permission isn't the problem here - the Local Government Association has calculated that over a million new homes could be built on existing planning approvals.
Renewable
We need to get developers to deliver on what they have already promised, while ensuring that communities see the benefit of improved local infrastructure and services.
And we need new ecological infrastructure too - such as green corridors that link key nature sites and green spaces available to each community.
Over the last decade, hundreds of thousands of homes have been built to out of date standards because of the Conservatives’ irrational decision to scrap the Code for Sustainable Homes.
Our Green MPs are calling out the absurdity that new homes are being built without solar panels, proper insulation, and other sensible measures that will be much cheaper to install during construction rather than at a later date.
We will be pushing to fix these flawed building standards so that all new homes are built with suitable renewable energy technologies and the best insulation and ventilation systems. This will mean new homes are cosier, cheaper to run, and not wasting precious energy.
Failure
Urgent legislation is needed to end the sewage dumping scandal in our rivers - and it's welcome that the government has announced plans.
It will take more than positive energy to save the planet.
Steve Reed, Labour’s environment secretary, met with the water companies last week to demand that they clean up their act - but too many of them are already breaking the law with their illegal, increasingly frequent releases of raw sewage into our streams, rivers and seas. It’s undeniable that the existing laws aren't adequate, and stern words to the polluters won't fix things.
The Environment Agency is so overstretched after fourteen years of Conservative spending cuts that it cannot protect our rivers against such flagrant lawbreaking. I'm calling for the government to restore the budget of the Environment Agency and put it on the front foot with powers to enforce the rules to ensure that polluters pay, not the people or planet.
A landmark Supreme Court ruling last week opened the door for people to sue the water companies for these illegal discharges, reversing the industry’s idea that they can pollute our rivers with legal impunity.
What this means for the water companies, many of which are already teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, remains to be seen. But it is crystal clear that the thirty year experiment of the privatised water system has been an abject failure.
Protect
The Labour government must be brave on this issue by bringing the water companies back into public ownership. This is the only sensible way to end shareholder payouts, fix the crumbling water infrastructure, and end this sewage scandal for good.
Farming has a huge positive role to play in addressing the climate and ecological emergencies, so it was a shame not to see any specific announcements on agriculture and land management.
The impact of agricultural pollution on a rural community such as my constituency in North Herefordshire is significant. It’s the major contributor to poor water quality in the countryside.
We need to support farmers to transition to more nature-friendly ways of farming - win-win-win approaches that produce good food, generate skilled jobs, and protect the environment.
Voices
Many farmers themselves are already leading the way with this - there are multiple award-winning regenerative farmers in my own constituency. The Sustainable Farming Incentive has been a step in the right direction, but more is needed.
The Labour government needs to commit to significantly increasing support for farmers to enable them to fulfil their potential in food production and nature protection in the UK.
Labour’s King’s Speech makes some positive first steps in the right direction, but there is much more to be done, and the urgency increases all the time.
Our four Green MPs will work constructively with the Labour government wherever we can - of course we will. And we will also do everything we can to push them to do better and be bolder on climate action and nature protection.
Our four Greens have each been elected to serve as leading voices for our communities, the natural world, and future generations.
This Author
Ellie Chowns is a British Green party MP. She previously served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the West Midlands.
