Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats has
today called for a new governmental department to get the UK to
Net Zero as soon as possible.
In comments today at the Institute for Government, said
the new department would take on all the powers of the
previous Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) but
would have "much more teeth and responsibility", with
influence over transport, housing and finance.
Speaking at the Institute for Government today, ,
Acting Leader of Liberal Democrats said:
“When Liberal Democrats ran the Department for Energy and Climate
Change we managed to more than treble Britain’s renewable power
and led Europe to adopt tougher climate change targets. As the
world is waking up to the threat of the climate emergency, DECC
is needed more than ever.
“But rather than building on the work we did, the Conservatives
abolished the Department. And alongside it they halted progress
in its tracks, banning onshore wind, abolishing zero carbon homes
and privatising the Green Investment Bank.
“If Britain is to regain a leading role ahead of hosting this
year’s UN conference on climate change, we must make action on
climate change a much higher priority. Liberal Democrats are
calling for a new government Department – a Department for Net
Zero. It would have the power and responsibility to transform our
country and to take tough but necessary decisions on transport,
housing and finance.
“If the Tories fail to do that, they are simply not serious about
tackling the climate emergency.”
