The Conservative Election Win - Our Thoughts.

The Conservative Election Win - Our Thoughts.

I share my thoughts on what the Conservative Election win means for local wildlife.

What Happened?

 

Well that was fun! As the clock struck 10pm a sea of expectant faces lit blue by the light of their Samsung Galaxy, (other phones are available) breathed a collective sigh of relief or disappointment. This was supposedly the first climate election, or Brexit election, or neither?

Concern for the environment is at the highest level for a generation but we can’t leave progress to chance. We must pull together people from all backgrounds and political persuasions to get the wilder future we desperately need!

What Was Promised?

 

The Conservative Party made some solid promises for the planet in their successful election manifesto and we at your local Wildlife Trust are going to hold our local Conservative officials to their pledge to have ‘The most ambitious environmental programme of any country on Earth’.  Look at these commitments, absorb them and remember them.

  1. Net Zero emissions by 2050
  2. A new Environment Bill and an Office For Environmental Protection
  3. £640 million Pounds for natural climate solutions
  4. A new agriculture subsidy system that rewards sustainability with ‘public money for public goods’
  5. £500 million  to protect oceans and seas and a new legal commitment to sustainable fishing practices

 

What Will We Do?

Following the election, your 17 local Conservative and 2 Labour Members of Parliament were sworn in today and pledged their allegiance to the country and monarch. It is a solemn and special moment for them and a reminder of the weight of their responsibility to act for the benefit of the whole country.  Despite the pressures and distractions of the role, they all need to know the seriousness of our planet’s plight and their personal accountability for environmental decisions that will be made.

Business as usual is not an option and The Trust will be resolute in ensuring that natural solutions are at the heart of local plans to tackle the climate emergency; that the relentless development across our counties gives back more to nature than it takes away and that all our political decision makers are putting nature’s recovery at the top of the agenda.

What About Nationally?

 

Check out my colleague Elliot’s great summary of our national response to the election and our priorities for the government in 2020:

https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/blog/elliot-chapman-jones/general-election-2019-results-are-so-what-does-it-mean-nature