The cold winter wind rattled the window frames of Xu Haicheng’s warm, cozy home. Inside sat an unlikely pair surrounded by receipts and papers. Xu’s house guest was President Xi Jinping, and Xi was helping the farmer with his household budget. Xi, who… read more
25 January 2017
*Caroline Lucas: Trump is signalling his intent to put rocket boosters behind the fossil fuel industry
Theresa May is being urged to raise the issue of climate change with President Donald Trump when she meets with him later this week. In a letter [1] sent to the Prime Ministers, politicians from the Green Party urged the Prime Minister to ‘seek firm assurances that he [Trump] will not withdraw from the Paris Agreement, and that he will remain committed to domestic climate legislation, such as the Clean Power Plan’.
The call to Theresa May comes after President Trump signed two executive orders yesterday aiming to push ahead with major pipeline projects in the US [2]. Both the Dakota and Keystone pipelines are regarded as extremely damaging by environmentalists and climate-scientists [3].
The United States is responsible for 15% of global carbon emissions – and their actions are crucial in shaping international climate policy. Donald Trump has previously cast doubt on climate science [4]– and has consistently called for policies designed to fast-track the burning of fossil fuels.
Caroline Lucas, the co-leader of the Green Party, said:
“Donald Trump’s first few days as President have revealed his contempt for environmental protection. By pushing ahead with the Dakota and Keystone pipelines he is signalling his intent to put rocket boosters behind the fossil fuel industry. Theresa May has a duty to make a stand – and to demand assurances from President Trump that he will not abandon the Paris climate change agreement. Failing to bring up climate change with President Trump would be a dereliction of duty from Theresa May, and we urge her to put this global challenge at the top of her agenda for their meeting.”
[1] Full letter to Theresa May:
Dear Theresa,
We are writing concerning your visit to the United States tomorrow to visit President Trump.
As you will know, President Trump and senior members of his new team have systematically cast doubt on climate science, whilst supporting polluting energy sources and downplaying the need for the transition to a low-carbon economy. As a clear statement of his intentions, at the moment of his inauguration, all mentions of climate change were removed from the Whitehouse website – instead, there appeared a raft of policies designed to fast-track the burning of fossil fuels.
With 2016 now confirmed as the hottest year on record, and the world heading for 4 degrees warming by the end of the century, there has never been a more dangerous time for the scaling back of climate action anywhere in the world. The United States is responsible for 15% of global emissions and its leadership is vital in setting the path to a zero-carbon future.
Given the urgency of the climate crisis, and the importance of the United States in global efforts to tackle it, we are writing to ask you to raise climate change with President Trump when you see him on Friday. More specifically, we are asking to you seek firm assurances that he will not withdraw from the Paris Agreement, and that he will remain committed to domestic climate legislation, such as the Clean Power Plan, that form an important part of US international commitments.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Jonathan Bartley, co-leader
Caroline Lucas MP, co-leader
Amelia Womack, deputy leader
Keith Taylor MEP, South-East
Molly Scott Cato MEP, South-West
Jean Lambert MEP, London
Sian Berry, London Assembly Member
Caroline Russell, London Assembly Member
Andrew Cooper, Energy spokesperson
[3] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jan/24/keystone-dakota-access-pipeline-executive-order
read moreDebbie Abrahams MP, Labour’s Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, commenting on the Government’s two child limit on tax credits, said:
“An arbitrary cap on the number of children that the Government will support is not only cruel, but is bad policy. As 90 per cent of lone parents are female, it is a further example of how these six years of wasted austerity have been borne on the backs of low income mothers.
“Of equal concern is the lack of detail surrounding the so-called ‘rape clause’. Should the burden of proof be placed upon survivors of rape by the Department for Work and Pensions, this would constitute a wholly unacceptable extension of the Department’s remit into deeply sensitive areas of women’s lives.
“People would be right to feel little confidence in the Government’s competence when approaching this highly sensitive issue. More so when viewed in the context of the punitive DWP culture fostered by this government.
“The sum of these deeply concerning questions, which hang over the policy as a whole, suggests that the only solution can be to scrap this policy once and for all. I urge the Prime Minister to do so before it takes effect.”
Ends
read moreThe Environment Agency caught the man fishing without a licence during patrols along the River Wear in Durham. read more
John Healey MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, commenting on the latest rough sleeping statistics released today, said:
“It is a national scandal that in England in the 21st century the number of people forced to sleep rough on our streets is spiralling upwards – and this is only the tip of the iceberg.
“These figures are a terrible reminder of the consequences of Conservative Ministers’ seven years of failure on housing.
“The number of people sleeping rough fell under Labour but has more than doubled since 2010, and has risen every year under the Conservatives.
“This is a direct result of decisions made by Conservative Ministers: a steep drop in investment for affordable homes, crude cuts to housing benefit, reduced funding for homelessness services, and a refusal to help private renters.
“Ministers’ long-promised housing white paper will fall at the first hurdle if it does not set out how they will end the national shame of rough sleeping, as Labour has committed to do.”
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