Many constituents wrote to me regarding the UK’s climate commitments. A copy of the campaign email can be seen below as well as my letter to the Prime minster and the chancellor

“Dear Rachel Hopkins

I live in Luton and I would like you to prioritise climate and nature action at this crucial moment in time.

I’m one of the millions of people who want action on the climate and nature crisis. Done right, the move to net zero will bring opportunities for all of us: new green jobs, cleaner air, thriving nature, and a healthier way of life. At the end of this decade, we will look back at 2021 as a turning point. By 2030, nature and wildlife could be recovering all around us.

The UK government have promised to work to keep global heating below 1.5°C, and the UK has put into law a target to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Promises have been made to protect forests, make our money greener and work with nature to tackle the climate crisis.

But progress is too slow on all these fronts. Globally, the science shows the world is on the brink of irreversible harm. In the UK, the Committee on Climate Change’s analysis shows nearly every sector is off track and, so far, we haven’t seen a detailed plan of action to change that.

As my MP I am asking you to raise my voice in Parliament and call on the Government to keep their promises by taking the following actions:

1. Write to the Prime Minister to ask him to:
lead by example by publishing a detailed and credible net zero strategy, showing step by step how we will decarbonise each sector of the UK.
use the UK’s COP26 leadership to ensure the global ambition to limit warming to 1.5 degrees is maintained. This should include a clear request to all participating countries to ensure all new climate plans maximise the potential of nature to tackle the climate crisis.
2. Write to the Chancellor to ask him to make sure both public and private finance is flowing towards projects needed to create a greener future, and away from the dirty industries harming our planet. Ask him to:
introduce a ‘net zero test’ requiring the Treasury to measure all future spending plans against the UK’s climate and environment commitments
commit to develop the world’s first finance sector that aligns with the 1.5C goal of the Paris Agreement.
3. Support a global footprint amendment when the Environment Bill returns to the Commons this autumn. This would commit the Government to set a target to reduce the overall impact of the UK’s production and consumption on the global environment and get the destruction of nature out of the products on our shelves.

The evidence is clear, if we delay spending just 1% of GDP now it risks doubling the cost for future generations and losing £90 billion of annual benefits from cleaner air, improved health and long-term sustainable jobs. We won’t forget who steps up to the greatest challenge we’ve ever faced. And we won’t forget who shrinks from the test.

Please step up.”