Question:
Will Wokingham Council support the Climate and Ecology Bill - A recent report from the Natural History Museum with RSPB rated England as the 7th most nature depleted country in the world. UK woodland cover is just 13% of land area compared to a European average of 38%. Our bare uplands contribute to lowland flooding. Government plans to plant woodland at a rate that will take 10 years to increase cover from 13% to 14%.
The new Environment Act is a post-Brexit bill designed to tidy up loose ends, looking at selected issues, but does not tackle the core problems at the heart of the ecological crisis and has nothing whatsoever to do with climate change.
Climate and nature are inextricably connected, and in the CE Bill, they are addressed together via a joined up, whole of government approach.
The Bill, drafted by scientists, legal experts, ecological economists, requires the UK to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to actively restore biodiverse habitats, rather than merely protect them and to stop damaging our natural world.
The Bill now has support of MPs across 8 political parties and of 203 Councils, including in Oxford, Oxfordshire, and Henley. Will Wokingham Borough Council become the 204th?
Minutes:
Will Wokingham Council support the Climate and Ecology Bill?
A recent report from the Natural History Museum with RSPB rated England as the 7th most nature depleted country in the world. UK woodland cover is just 13% of land area compared to a European average of 38%. Our bare uplands contribute to lowland flooding. Government plans to plant woodland at a rate that will take 10 years to increase cover from 13% to 14%.
The new Environment Act is a post-Brexit Bill designed to tidy up loose ends, looking at selected issues, but does not tackle the core problems at the heart of the ecological crisis and has nothing whatsoever to do with climate change.
Climate and nature are inextricably connected, and in the CE Bill they are addressed together via a joined up, whole of government approach. The Bill, drafted by scientists, legal experts, ecological economists, requires the UK to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to actively restore biodiverse habitats, rather than merely protect them and to stop damaging our natural world.
The Bill now has support of MPs across 8 political parties and of 203 Councils, including in Oxford, Oxfordshire and Henley. Will Wokingham Borough Council become the 204th?
Answer
The UK has failed to meet 17 of the 20 Aichi biodiversity targets and has gone backwards on six of them. We are the most nature-depleted G7 country which is truly shocking.
I am aware that this question has previously been raised at a Council meeting in September 2021. The response had been, that even though the Council did recognise the intrinsic link between climate change and ecology, and the relevance of the Bill, the Bill itself would have not provided the Council with the statutory powers and responsibilities we needed to address the climate and ecological emergency. In addition to this, it was felt at the time that the Council had multiple plans already in place to address the climate and ecological emergency - including the Climate Change Action Plan, and the Biodiversity Action Plan - and would have imminently been subject to additional legislation on this, including the Environment Bill. In consideration of this, it was decided that Wokingham Borough Council would have not committed its support to the Bill.
As things stand, there is a new administration in front of you. The Biodiversity Action Plan has, sadly, been collecting dust for some time, with many actions not happening. My colleague, Ian Shenton, is working on rectifying this, making action on improving nature a priority.
We still believe that more statutory powers need to be given to Local Authorities to address the climate and ecological emergencies. However, the Bill aims to set binding targets for Central Government. If approved, this would require additional powers, as well as funding, devolved to Local Authorities, to ensure the delivery of those targets. Supporting the introduction of legally binding targets sends a clear message that Wokingham Borough Council takes the climate and ecological emergency seriously. Therefore, I agree to commit Wokingham Borough Council to publicly support the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill.
We hope that you will join us in lobbying to ensure that included in the Bill is an amendment to provide local government with the powers and funding needed to make it a success.