Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill

The Climate and Ecology Bill, formerly promoted as the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill, is a private member's bill before the Parliament of the United Kingdom aimed at tackling the climate crisis and environmental disaster.

Climate and Ecology Bill
Parliament of the United Kingdom
  • A Bill to require the Secretary of State to achieve climate and nature targets for the United Kingdom; to give the Secretary of State a duty to implement a strategy to achieve those targets; to establish a Climate and Nature Assembly to advise the Secretary of State in creating that strategy; to give duties to the Committee on Climate Change and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee regarding the strategy and targets; and for connected purposes.
Territorial extentEngland and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland
Legislative history
Bill titleClimate & Ecology Bill
Introduced byOlivia Blake
Introduced10 May 2023
First reading10 May 2023
Second reading24 November 2023
Summary
A Bill to require the Secretary of State to achieve climate and nature targets for the United Kingdom; to give the Secretary of State a duty to implement a strategy to achieve those targets; to establish a Climate and Nature Assembly to advise the Secretary of State in creating that strategy; to give duties to the Committee on Climate Change and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee regarding the strategy and targets; and for connected purposes.
Status: Pending

The bill, which is currently before the House of Commons following its reintroduction on 10 May 2023, would ensure that the UK Government:

  • reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in line with the UK's proportionate share of the remaining global carbon budget for 1.5°C
  • reverses the damage to the natural world by 2030
  • establishes a temporary climate and nature (citizens') assembly to recommend measures for inclusion in an all-of-government strategy.

In the Commons, the bill has been presented twice by (Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, and former Green Party leader) Caroline Lucas. In the 2019-21 session, the first reading of the CE Bill (172, 2019-20) took place on 2 September 2020.

In the 2021-22 session, the CE Bill (61, 2021-22) had its first reading on 21 June 2021. A second reading debate was scheduled for 6 May 2022—but the bill was not allocated time to proceed.

In the 2022-23 session, the CE Bill (HL 13) was introduced in the House of Lords by (Liberal Democrat peer and former energy spokesperson) Lord Redesdale. Its first reading took place on 21 May 2022, second reading was 15 July 2022, committee stage was 18 November 2022, report stage was 25 January 2023, and third reading was 21 April.

In the same 2022-23 session, the CE Bill was reintroduced in the House of Commons by Olivia Blake MP (Labour, Sheffield Hallam) on 10 May 2023. Its second reading was set as 24 November 2023.

Details

The bill would "require the Secretary of State to achieve climate and nature targets for the UK; to give the Secretary of State a duty to implement a strategy to achieve those targets; to establish a climate and nature assembly to advise the Secretary of State in creating that strategy; [and] to give duties to the Committee on Climate Change and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee regarding the strategy and targets."[1][2][3][4]

It would establish a representative climate and nature assembly to propose recommendations in line with the proposed legislation's dual targets to tackle the climate and ecological emergency.[5][6]

John Harris wrote in The Guardian that:

The bill is a neat means of doing two things. It highlights how much our politicians are defying the urgency of the moment and—by presenting clear and precise proposals to drastically reduce carbon emissions and restore biodiversity in the same typefaces and official vocabulary as the laws that define whole swathes of our lives—it makes the prospect of radical action eminently imaginable.[5]

History of the CE Bill

In the 2019-21 session, Caroline Lucas MP tabled the bill—and corresponding early day motion 832—on 2 September 2020. It received its first reading the same day[7] and its scheduled second reading date of 26 March 2021 was postponed. 11 MPs co-sponsored the bill—Alan Brown (SNP), Claire Hanna (Social Democratic and Labour Party), Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat), Clive Lewis (Labour), Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru), Stephen Farry (Alliance), Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru), Tommy Sheppard (SNP), Alex Sobel (Labour/Co-op), Zarah Sultana (Labour) and Nadia Whittome (Labour).[8]

In the 2021-22 session, Caroline Lucas tabled the bill on 21 June 2021 with the support of 11 co-sponsors—Alan Brown (SNP), Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat), Stephen Farry (Alliance), Barry Gardiner (Labour), Claire Hanna (Social Democratic and Labour Party), Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru), Clive Lewis (Labour), Brendan O'Hara (SNP), Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat), Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru) and Alex Sobel (Labour/Co-op). During that session, the bill was scheduled for a second reading debate on four occasions—10 September 2021, 29 October 2021, 10 December 2021 and 6 May 2022.

For the 2022-23 session, the CE Bill was entered in the House of Lords new session private members' bill ballot by (Liberal Democrat peer) Lord Redesdale. It was drawn 8 of 25 private member's bills. Its first reading took place on 21 May 2022 and its second reading on 15 July 2022. At its second reading, a cross-party group of peers spoke in favour, including Baroness Hooper (Conservative), Baroness Boycott (Crossbench), the Bishop of St Albans, (Liberal Democrat peers) Lord Teverson and Lord Oates, and (Green peer) Baroness Bennett. At committee stage, Lord Redesdale amended the bill to focus on its nature target in light of the agreement reached at COP15 for nations to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030. The amended bill—the Ecology Bill—passed through its House of Lords stages successfully, and was handed over to Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat MP for Bath) on 25 April 2023.

In the same session, the Labour MP for Sheffield Hallam—Olivia Blake MP—reintroduced the CE Bill in the House of Commons as a private member's bill on 10 May 2023. The bill's co-sponsors were Derek Thomas (Conservative), Peter Bottomley (Conservative), Geraint Davies (Labour/Co-op), Alan Brown (SNP), Brendan O’Hara (SNP), Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat), Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat), Liz Saville-Roberts (Plaid Cymru), Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic and Labour Party), Caroline Lucas (Green), Stephen Farry (Alliance).

Zero Hour campaign

Zero Hour (formerly, the CEE Bill Alliance) is a 42,000 person-strong grassroots organisation working to build support for the bill by persuading MPs, peers, mayors, councillors, local authorities, electoral candidates and political parties—as well as businesses, unions, community groups, NGOs, charities, cooperatives, and media organisations—to endorse the proposed legislation.

Zero Hour's partners include The Climate Coalition, Patagonia, Natura &Co, SUEZ UK, UK Youth for Nature, The Wildlife Trusts, Women's Institutes of Northern Ireland, Surfers Against Sewage, UK Youth Climate Coalition, National Education Union, The Co-operative Bank, Oxfam, The Body Shop and Triodos Bank. The bill is also supported by a wide variety of environmental groups, including WWT, CPRE, Faith for the Climate, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and Extinction Rebellion.[9][10]

At the time of the CE Bill's reintroduction in the House of Commons on 10 May 2023, 126 MPs (from 11 political parties), 40 peers, 230 local authorities, and the London Assembly were backing the bill.

The Alliance Party, Green Party, Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru, SDLP, Yorkshire Party and Welsh Greens officially support the proposed legislation—and MPs from Labour and the Co-operative Party, the SNP, and the DUP are also listed as bill supporters—alongside the Scottish Green MSPs and several Plaid Cymru MSs. The leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, Jane Dodds MS is also a supporter. The youth wings of several political parties are also behind the campaign, including Alliance Youth, Plaid Ifanc, Young Greens and Young Welsh Greens.

Senior Conservative peers, Baroness Verma and Baroness Hooper support of the bill, as does Theresa May's former environment adviser, Lord Randall of Unbridge. Conservative MP, Laurence Robertson, stated that he "supports the aims and principles of the bill" on 15 June 2022[11] and the Scottish Conservatives' leader, Douglas Ross MP, has said he will consider signing the bill when it comes to the Commons for a vote". Mark Garnier, Conservative MP for Wyre Forest, has also met CE Bill supporters to discuss the bill; as have many other Conservative MPs.

At a regional level, on 2 December 2021, the London Assembly passed a cross-party motion to back the CE Bill—proposed by Zack Polanski AM (Green) and Leonie Cooper AM (Labour/Co-op).[12] The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, subsequently confirmed his support on 15 July 2022 [13] and the chair of London Councils, Cllr Georgia Gould (Camden Council) confirmed her support on 18 April 2023.

Over 2022, Zero Hour organised a UK-wide, all-party initiative—the Nature & Climate Declaration—to attract the support of councillors, mayors, and devolved legislators (MSPs, MSs, and MLAs) to the key principles of the CE Bill. It was supported by 2,000 politicians[14] when the Declaration was launched in November 2022, including:

  • Daisy Cooper MP (Deputy Leader, Liberal Democrats)
  • Lord Knight of Weymouth (Lab/Co-op; Minister for Biodiversity, 2005-06)
  • Andrew Boff AM (Conservative; Deputy Chair, London Assembly)
  • Cllr Carla Denyer (Co-Leader, Green Party)
  • Cllr Andrea Davis (Conservative; Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Devon County Council)
  • Angus Robertson MSP (SNP; Cabinet Secretary for External Affairs, Scottish Government
  • Lorna Slater MSP (Scottish Green; Minister for Biodiversity, Scottish Government)
  • Dr Sandesh Gulhane MSP (Scottish Conservative; Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care)
  • Cllr Norman Hampshire (Scottish Labour; Leader, East Lothian Council)
  • Cllr Steve Delaney (Scottish Liberal Democrat; Depute Provost, Aberdeen City Council)
  • Siân Gwenllian MS (Deputy Leader, Plaid Cymru)
  • Jenny Rathbone MS (Welsh Labour; Climate Change & Environment Committee, Senedd Cymru)
  • Cllr Terry Mendies (Welsh Conservative; Denbighshire County Council)
  • Cllr Gareth Morgan (Welsh Liberal Democrat; Powys County Council)
  • Cllr Ros Griffiths-Williams (Welsh Green; Conwy County Borough Council)
  • Naomi Long MLA (Leader, Alliance Party)
  • Colum Eastwood MP (Leader, Social Democratic and Labour Party)
  • Mayor Stephen Ross (DUP; Antrim and Newtonabbey Borough Council)
  • Gerry Carroll MLA (People Before Profit)

See also

References
  1. Vogel, Jefim. "The new UK Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill is exactly what we need – here's why". The Conversation.
  2. Ball, Tom. "Extinction Rebellion activists glue themselves to pavement outside parliament". The Times.
  3. "Climate emergency bill offers real hope | Letter". The Guardian. 2 September 2020.
  4. "We owe it to young people to take action on climate change - it's their future we're stealing". inews.co.uk. 19 August 2020.
  5. Harris, John (30 August 2020). "If democracy looks doomed, Extinction Rebellion may have an answer". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  6. Browne, Anthony (29 August 2020). "Extinction Rebellion's plan for eco-oligarchy". The Spectator.
  7. Lock, Helen (4 September 2020). "The New UK Climate Bill: Everything You Need to Know". Global Citizen.
  8. "Ministers 'out of sync' with public, say new climate bill campaigners". Evening Standard. 6 September 2020.
  9. "Extinction Rebellion to block streets in London, Manchester and Cardiff". The Guardian. 28 August 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  10. "Extinction Rebellion activists glue themselves to ground outside parliament". The Independent. 3 September 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  11. "Tewkesbury MP Laurence Robertson supports climate bill". BBC News. 15 June 2022. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  12. Republic, Studio. "London Assembly gives support to proposed Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill". CIWEM. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  13. "Mayor Sadiq Khan is backing the CE Bill!". Zero Hour. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  14. H, Eskarina; ley (27 October 2022). "Nature and Climate declaration signed by 2,000 politicians across the UK". Open Access Government. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
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