The UK has been very advanced when it comes to the protection of environment be it various recycling schemes, ‘pay to get plastic bag’, animal protection, renewable energies etc. I have been very proud of these. But recently few disastrous decisions by the UK government are a cause of worry among environmentalists.

The government’s plan to build a new runway at Heathrow won overwhelming backing in the Commons  – with more than 100 Labour MPs joining the majority of Tory politicians to back the plan – despite grave concerns about its impact on air pollution and the UK’s carbon emissions.

It said a third runway was “a declaration that the lives of those ‘others’ around the world already suffering from the worst impacts of climate change, and the thousands displaced to build the runway, are worth less than the luxuries of the minority of wealthy frequent flyers who stand to benefit most from a third runway.”

On the same day, the government rejected plans for a £1.3bn tidal lagoon in Swansea Bay, dashing industry hopes of Britain leading the development of a new source of renewable energy.

Environmental campaigners and clean air groups in the UK have been extremely upset over these decisions which are likely to put the nation’s green credentials in tatters. Caroline Lucas, co-leader of the Green party said it had been a day “of government-induced environmental disaster”. These are said to take a wrecking ball to the UK’s climate policies.

We, the residents of the UK, have our growing concern over the “repeated delays” in the publication of the government’s strategy for sustainable road transport risks undermining the UK’s electric car industry and entrenching dangerous levels of air pollution for decades to come.

To put pressure on the government, green groups have formed a coalition i.e. a coalition of clean air campaigners, green transport groups and environmentalists – including WWF and Greenpeace.

It is not a good news that the government is planning to water down a ban on petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040  as that’s too late and would “seriously weaken the UK’s hopes of leading the race towards cleaner transport”. We all urge the government to bring forward the 2040 ban on new diesel and petrol car sales by 2030.

Thus, UK’s environmental policies are “in tatters” after Heathrow and Swansea and further backtracking on its flagship transport strategy. These would “cement the government’s failure to fulfil its pledge to be a global leader on climate action. Such delays or anti-environment decisions are sending a negative signal about the importance of climate change in the decision-making process.

On records, the government says “Our 25-year environment plan sets out our commitment to leave the environment in a better state than we found it. This includes ambitious plans to replenish depleted soils, rid the seas and oceans of plastic waste, cut greenhouse gas emissions, end the sale of new conventional diesel and petrol cars and vans by 2040, cleanse our air of toxic pollutants and develop cleaner, more sustainable energy sources.”

There is already a legal challenge to the Heathrow plans being prepared by several councils and supported by the mayor of London. Campaigners vowed to continue their fight.

I have also joined the supporters or ‘No Heathrow’ group by signing the petition.

Source:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jun/27/britains-climate-policy-is-in-tatters-warn-green-groups-heathrow-expansion-swansea-tidal-lagoon