Responding to the government’s new climate targets of reducing emissions by 68% over this decade, Green Party co-leader Jonathan Bartley said:
“While any raising of ambition from the government is welcome, there is no time for empty promises. We need to see immediate action, and a clear plan for the next five years, rather than new pledges, without plans for delivery, that can only be delivered by their successors.
"The government has had four years since it signed the Paris Agreement, which committed it to try to limit temperature rise to 1.5C. This can only be achieved by reaching net zero by 2030 - something that it is nowhere near achieving. It isn’t even on track for 2.0C.
“Time is running out. We must see tangible plans and meaningful action being taken to go net zero across every single sector, including housing, transport and agriculture. Without this, more pledges only leave the difficult decisions - such as constraining aviation, electrifying our heating and transport systems, and moving to plant-based diets - to future politicians.
“We have seen from the recent spending review that the government does not understand the extent of the action that is required in this climate emergency. A true Green New Deal, implemented immediately, would reduce emissions and create millions of sustainable Green jobs, protecting the future for us all and for generations to come.”