This week the Government’s ground-breaking Environment Bill passed a key stage in the House of Commons. This new Environment Act will create extra protection for animal welfare, protect and preserve our water quality, take further action to tackle single use plastics, strengthen land conservation and tree planting, introduce air pollution reduction targets, and establish a new independent Office for Environmental Protection to scrutinise, advise and investigate environmental law and environmental impacts.
The Bill was accompanied by an announcement of a £166 million cash injection for rapid development of green technologies such as hydrogen, carbon capture and greenhouse gas removal, creating thousands of green jobs and helping to decarbonise some of the most polluting industrial and manufacturing industries, such as steel, manufacturing and waste.
The significant green economy investment and ground-breaking Environment Bill will help the UK meet its ambitious climate commitments, including reaching net zero emissions by 2050 and the world’s most ambitious climate target of reducing UK emissions by 78% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels. Having passed its stages in the House of Commons, the bill is now back in the House of Lords for their consideration.
This is the most far reaching Environment Bill yet, and I am proud to support it. The UK is becoming the global leader on environmental improvement, delivering on our manifesto promises for a green, environmentally friendly country. I particularly welcome the extra protection for animal welfare, as well as action to tackle water resources and air pollution.
The Environment Bill is being accompanied by significant investment in finding green solutions to modernise and make more environmentally friendly the industrial polluting industries with cutting edge technology like hydrogen. It is absolutely right to commit to support these important industries and British jobs, so that they can make the changes needed to meet the climate change challenge.
There are great opportunities for our country to deliver on the commitment to leave the natural world in a better condition than we found it. I am proud of the progress being made by the Government, in delivering the investment, jobs and legislation to improve our country and to protect and preserve our natural environment for generations to come.