Campaigners in Shrewsbury are thrilled by the news that the town’s MP Julia Buckley will be supporting the ‘world-leading’ Climate and Nature Bill at its Second Reading in Parliament on 24 January.
If made law, the Climate and Nature Bill (or “CAN” Bill) would ensure that the UK has a joined up, science-led and people-powered plan to tackle climate change and nature loss, together. The cross-party Bill is supported by 191 MPs; 1,000 organisations including the Women’s Institute, The Co-operative Bank, and Ecotricity; and over 1,200 leading UK climate and nature scientists.
Jamie Russell, a Shrewsbury resident and CAN Bill campaigner says:
“I’ve been campaigning for this world-leading Bill locally and nationally for the last four years and I’m thrilled to hear our new MP Julia Buckley will be supporting it at its crucial second reading vote in January.
“It’s wonderful to finally have an MP who understands the urgency of the climate and nature crisis, and also the huge benefits for her constituents that will come from taking action on it – warmer, better insulated homes; better public transport; cheaper energy to tackle the cost of living crisis; and flourishing biodiversity.
“Julia has hit the ground running in Parliament, ensuring her constituents’ voices are heard on a range of issues including flooding, river health, and better public transport. By backing this Bill and voting for it on 24 January, she’ll give Shrewsbury residents some much needed hope that our politicians understand the urgency of the science. I’d love to see Shropshire’s other MPs do the same.”
Julia Buckley MP for Shrewsbury says:
“I am pleased to support the CAN bill as one of a number of mechanisms to ensure a more holistic approach to protecting our environment through our policies.
“My role on the select committee has also enabled me to question key witnesses on how we will meet our carbon targets and how government policy is delivering the desired outcomes. I will work through all these ways to ensure our environment has strong advocates in Parliament.”
Recently over 30 Shrewsbury residents – including councillors – staged a photo opp in the town’s historic market square in support of the Bill as part of a national day of action that also saw demos in Ludlow, Oswestry and Much Wenlock, as well as across the UK.
The CAN Bill has the backing of over 378 councils in the UK including Shrewsbury, Shropshire, Ludlow, Oswestry, Whitchurch and Much Wenlock. Last month Shrewsbury residents travelled to the National Trust AGM in Newcastle to present a motion to the Trust’s 5 million members in support of the Bill, which passed by a large margin.
The CAN Bill is being championed in Parliament by Dr Roz Savage MP (Liberal Democrats), a longtime environmental campaigner and world record breaking solo ocean rower. She is supported by 11 cross-party co-sponsors from Labour, Conservatives, Lib Dems, Greens, Plaid Cymru, and SNP. Almost 200 MPs are backing the Bill with the majority of these Labour MPs.
If made law, the CAN Bill would make the UK’s two existing internationally-agree climate and nature targets legally binding. These are 1) to limit global warming to 1.5°C, and (2) halt and reverse nature loss by 2030. Neither of these essential targets – internationally agreed under previous Conservative administrations at Paris in 2015 and Montreal in 2022 – are currently locked in UK law.
In September, over 1,200 UK climate and nature scientists – including 5 Nobel Prize winners – wrote to every MP in Parliament urging them to get behind the CAN Bill. It comes as the globe is being ravaged by record rainfall and deadly floods from Central Europe to Mexico to the US, all made worse by the impact of man-made climate change. Meanwhile, the Met Office has warned that this winter will bring devastating floods to homes and businesses across the UK.
Dr Amy McDonnell from Zero Hour, the campaign team supporting the CAN Bill says:
“The Climate and Nature Bill is our last, best chance to ensure that the UK rises to the challenge of the crisis we’re facing. Previous governments have already pledged, alongside 196 other nations, to achieve the 2030 targets the Bill would make law. But at present, these targets aren’t legally binding and our existing legislation isn’t robust enough to ensure they’re met.
“The CAN Bill, written by scientists, will enable the UK to do everything it has promised and ensure a liveable future for all. It’s great to see MPs like Julia getting behind it.”
Shropshire Live is regulated by 