It is inherently conservative to care about our environment and we want to make the UK a world leader on tackling climate change.
It was under the Conservatives that the UK became the first advanced economy to legislate for Net Zero emissions by 2050. We have already reduced emissions by a quarter since 2010 and boosted renewables to record levels. We know that there is more to do but climate change is at the heart of the agenda.
Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party simply don’t have a credible approach when it comes to tackling climate change. Even Labour supporting unions have called their plans ‘utterly unachievable’ and the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has Described Labour’s targets as ‘almost certainly impossible’ and would come at such a ‘vast cost to our standards of living’.
Our Strategy to Clean up the Environment:
- We are the first major economy to legally commit to ending the UK’s contribution to climate change by 2050.
- We will encourage electric vehicle use, support new clean technologies like fusion and make all new homes energy efficient.
- We will continue to attract the crucial investment needed for new clean technology. Ministerial colleagues in my own governmental department will continue to deliver a clean industrial strategy with low carbon technologies and efficient use of resources. By one estimate, the UK’s clean economy could grow at four times the rate of GDP.
- We have introduced a world leading ban on microbeads. The plastic bag charge has been highly successful and a ban on problematic plastic products such as plastic straws, drinks stirrers, and cotton buds are coming into effect.
- The Government has committed to cutting down on plastic waste further. The Government is looking to crack down on plastic packaging which does not contain a minimum of 30 per cent recycled content, and the demand for single use plastics will be further cut.
