The Green Party has responded to the news that greenhouse gases have continued to rise by attacking the shortsighted attitudes of the UK and global governments
‘We have known the risk for 30 years,’ said Carl Benfield, the Greens spokesperson on the Climate Emergency in East Midlands. ‘More greenhouse gases mean more global temperature rise, more violent and unpredictable weather, more storms, more floods, more heatwaves and fires. And what do we now have? Raging fires in Australia, disruptive flooding in the UK, unpredictable seasons that are damaging to both nature and food production.’
The World Meteorological Organisation [WMO] has reported that Carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, has reached 147% of pre industrial levels and is continuing to increase. The UN Environment Programme [UNEP] has described the WMO report as ‘bleak’ and warns that the world will warm by over 3 degrees Celsius by the end of the century unless serious action is taken now.
The WMO report has been released ahead of the UN Climate Conference due to open in Madrid next week. The Conference will focus on how to mobilise the finance needed to meet the 2015 Paris target of keeping global warming to 1.5 degrees. So far, plans submitted by all participating governments fall far short of this target and will lead to warming of 3 degrees Celsius.
The Greens are calling for a Green New Deal that will mobilise a massive investment in renewable energy, home insulation and public transport. They say that since the UK was the home of the industrial revolution that has led to the climate crisis the UK should show leadership in developing a new green revolution. ‘We can decarbonise by 2030 using available technology’ said Benfield. ‘We need to insulate every home, phase out fossil fuels and drive up energy efficiency. And this is not just a challenge - it's a massive opportunity for both business and communities to focus on a single goal, radically improving our productivity and social cohesion.
‘We can not condemn a future generation to live in a 3 Degree world. We urge people to send a clear demand now to the next government to set higher ambitions and put in place a Green New Deal to decarbonise by 2030.’
For further information on the Green New Deal visit the Green Party website: https://campaigns.greenparty.org.uk/manifesto/
