PAUL HOMEWOOD
A Private Members’ Bill is currently wending its way through Parliament. Called the Climate and Nature Bill (CAN), it threatens to wreck the U.K. economy, damage lives and undermine democracy.
And that’s just for starters! It makes Theresa May’s Net Zero legislation look like a walk in the park.
Private Members’ Bills rarely turn into law, but worryingly this one already has the public support of 192 MPs – you can check the list here.
And as we know, Theresa May’s Net Zero legislation passed with barely a murmur, despite having no democratic mandate.
Originally the brainchild of then Green MP Caroline Lucas, the Bill is due for its second reading on January 24th 2025 and is based on the premise that the current Net Zero by 2050 legislation is inadequate. It calls for U.K. emissions to be rapidly cut “in line with the 1.5°C target”. This effectively means cutting emissions by about 90% in the next 10 years.
If passed, it would oblige the Energy Secretary to create a new climate change strategy and present it before Parliament within a year. The Government would be required by law to “limit the U.K.’s total C02 emissions to no more than its proportionate share of the IPCC’s remaining global carbon budget, for a 67% chance of limiting heating to 1.5°C.”
Worse still, it lays down that imported emissions are accounted for as well, not just territorial ones as at present. When all emissions are counted, including shipping and aviation, U.K. emissions have only fallen by about 23% since 1990, the Bill’s proponents say. This is much less than the 48% claimed for territorial under the current system.
Given that territorial emissions, i.e., those that occur within our geographical borders, are little more than half total emissions, such a target physically could not be achieved without radical changes to the U.K. economy, energy system and people’s lives. We would have to do without most of what we currently import, for example.
It does not seem to have occurred to the Bill’s supporters that we could eliminate U.K. emissions tomorrow, and it would not have the slightest effect on the world’s weather, given that the rest of the world is still increasing emissions year-on-year. Since the Paris Agreement in 2015, for instance, world emissions of CO2 have increased by 7%, while ours have fallen.
The Bill would make it law that both the production and import of fossil fuels must end “as rapidly as possible”. But imports of food would also have to be virtually eliminated as well, as food emissions account for a third of our total, and we import half our food.
Given that the U.K. would also have to shut down most of its meat farming under these proposals, it is not clear exactly where we would get our food from. Apparently, the Bill’s proponents believe we can live on “low carbon fruit, veg, nuts, pulses and grains” instead!
One of the most insidious parts of the Bill lays down a legally enforceable role for a “Climate and Nature Assembly”, a body similar to the Climate Assembly set up in 2019. This body is supposed to reflect the views of the public. In reality, the 2019 version took a handful of ordinary citizens, brainwashed them with the help of “experts” and then presented their conclusions as “public opinion”.
We already have a system which gives the public the chance to offer their views – it is called elections. But this new Bill would go further. The Assemblies would not just be advisory. The Bill states:
The Secretary of State must include in the strategy all recommendations of the Assembly that have the support of 66% of its members, where those recommendations are also jointly proposed by… The Climate Change Committee.
Such a proposal would severely undermine democracy by taking away the rights of voters to make these choices and tie the hands of future Parliaments.
As the Bill also states:
If the Government fails to deliver a strategy that meets the Bill’s objectives and fundamental principles, the Government can be challenged in the High Court through judicial review.
And therein lies the real threat. If this Bill becomes law, it will be activist judges who will be making decisions, not elected politicians.
If all of this was not bad enough, the Bill not only wants to lay down laws about climate change, It also proposes exactly the same for “Nature”.
In its own words, it prioritises nature in decision-making and calls to restore and expand natural eco-systems. Any development or activity that threatens nature must prioritise the protection of nature.
And we must also address the U.K.’s entire ecological footprint at home and overseas, by accounting for the “destruction of nature”.
The Bill’s supporters say that the U.K.’s “environmental footprint” must be reduced by three-quarters by 2030.
Reducing something tangible like emissions is one thing. But how on Earth do you measure an environmental footprint (whatever that is)? It opens the door for any crackpot green outfit to sue the Government, and any left-wing judge to make whatever crazy decisions he wants.
Nobody voted for this lunacy, yet 192 MPs plan to vote for the Bill, and no doubt many more will join them. Even if this Bill fails, the policies contained within it will surely find their way into public policy sooner or later.
Net Zero is already doing great harm, but if this Bill becomes law, the country will be unrecognisable in 10 years’ time.
There will be energy and food shortages, industry will be decimated, private transport and foreign holidays a thing of the past. What we take for granted today will be unaffordable for most.
And there will be nothing we can do about it.
Zero House, the campaign group for the Climate and Nature Bill, has more details of what’s in store for us here.
This article (What Fresh Hell is This? The Climate and Nature Bill) was created and published by Daily Sceptic and is republished here under “Fair Use” with attribution to the author Paul Homewood
••••
The Liberty Beacon Project is now expanding at a near exponential rate, and for this we are grateful and excited! But we must also be practical. For 7 years we have not asked for any donations, and have built this project with our own funds as we grew. We are now experiencing ever increasing growing pains due to the large number of websites and projects we represent. So we have just installed donation buttons on our websites and ask that you consider this when you visit them. Nothing is too small. We thank you for all your support and your considerations … (TLB)
••••
Comment Policy: As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats of violence, racism, or personal/abusive attacks on other users. This also applies to trolling, the use of more than one alias, or just intentional mischief. Enforcement of this policy is at the discretion of this websites administrators. Repeat offenders may be blocked or permanently banned without prior warning.
••••
Disclaimer: TLB websites contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of “fair use” in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, health, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner.
••••
Disclaimer: The information and opinions shared are for informational purposes only including, but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material are not intended as medical advice or instruction. Nothing mentioned is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Liberty Beacon Project.
Leave a Reply