LABOUR’S Perspective Parliamentary Candidate for Redditch Rebecca Jenkins has hit out over the lack of action by the government on meeting the ‘climate change challenge’.
“As a teacher, the prevailing question on my students’ lips is what their future will be like living through a sixth extinction event,” she said.
“I feel desperately grieved when I tell them how little this government seems to care about climate change.
“Addressing this climate emergency is not a task for tomorrow’s leaders, it requires urgent innovation and action today.”
She added that Labour had produced a ‘Green Transformation’ manifesto which outlined their plan to tackle the climate threat if elected to power.
“Labour will introduce a Clean Air Act to counter the endless failings of the Tories to meet safety standards,” she said.
“We plan to upgrade four million homes to EPC band C in our first term, and promote the delivery of insulation schemes undertaken by local authorities.
“This will cut down on greenhouse emissions, save at least £275 per year for affected households, improve the health and wellbeing of families, reduce costs to the NHS and create new skilled jobs.
“We’ll also ensure that 60 per cent of energy supplies come from low carbon or renewable sources.”
Other plans include bringing energy companies into public ownership, a ban on fracking and reversing the block on onshore wind farms.
There would be free bus travel for under 25s to promote public transport and re-nationalising the railways ‘to be run for people not profit’.
“These policies are just a sample of the ambitious and radical plans the Labour Party has to transform Britain into a sustainable, innovative, greener nation that’ll lead the way in environment protection and action against climate change,” said Ms Jenkins.
