Meeting Shockat Adam MP about the Climate Plan

As part of our work on the Big Climate Plan campaign, we met Shockat Adam, the independent MP for Leicester South, to ask him to demonstrate his commitment to fair climate action. 

We explained that the government's new climate plan must set out how we will meet the UK's international commitment to cut carbon emissions by over two thirds by 2030. We're currently dangerously off track so we need to take urgent action. The plan therefore needs to be ambitious but we think it also needs to make sure that everyone can have lower energy bills, warm homes, clean air, better public transport and well paid green jobs. 

Many of the people hit hardest by the impacts of climate change, in the UK and worldwide, are those who have done the least to cause the problem. Fair climate action can bring benefits for everyone, not only those who can afford to buy a Tesla. With the backlash against net-zero in some quarters, it's vital that the government's plan is fair and seen to be fair. If it isn't, it risks being weaponised by climate sceptics and those seeking to delay climate action.

This week, Friends of the Earth published a new fairness focussed research report, highlighting the impact of climate policies on ordinary people. We gave Shockat a copy of the report and the petition that we had collected showing local support for fair climate action: 160 postcards and 227 digital signatures. We also presented him with the brainstorm of ideas for climate action, which people have been contributing to at our recent stalls. 

We discussed how fair climate action could make a difference locally, in improving cold and mouldy homes, reducing air pollution that affects the most deprived parts of Leicester most severely and in improving everyone's access to public transport. Shockat has agreed to present our petition to the Prime Minister and also to write to him to express his support for fair climate action. We were gratified to hear that he is very interested in these issues. 

Now all we can do is to wait and see what the new climate plan will bring! As this effectively marked the end of our work on this campaign, we went to the Phoenix for dinner to celebrate. Local groups across the UK are talking to their MPs about the need for fair climate action; we hope that together we will make a difference.

Calling for a Big Climate Plan on High Street

With one week to go until we meet one of our local MPs to talk about the Big Climate Plan, we had another stall to collect people's ideas for climate action and postcards to pass on to the prime minister. This time we were in the centre of Leicester, part way up High Street.

Street campaigning can be a challenge because people can be reluctant to stop and talk (especially if they think you're asking for money) and explaining campaigns very quickly is not always easy. We collected fewer postcards than the week before, perhaps because the weather was a lot colder. We noticed that people are feeling very disillusioned with the current government and are therefore unwilling to engage in anything 'political'. But we kept ourselves entertained with a friendly rivalry as to who was collecting the most signatures! Bruce beat everyone else hands down - we think it must have been his bobble hat. People gave us some odd excuses for not stopping to talk - the strangest being "I'm already married"! We're not sure what they thought we were asking!

Calling for a Big Climate Plan on Queens Road

We spent a couple of hours on Queens Road today, talking to passers-by about the Big Climate Plan campaign. National Friends of the Earth took the government to court last year for having an inadequate climate plan. They won the case and the government is now re-writing their plan, which they have to publish by 2nd May. Alongside Friends of the Earth groups across the country, we are calling on them to develop a new climate plan that is bolder and fairer. Millions of people in the UK are already suffering the impacts of extreme weather, sky high energy bills and rising inequality Our communities deserve warmer homes, cheaper energy, cleaner air, better public transport and well-paid green jobs.

Eight members of Leicester Friends of the Earth spoke to people on Queens Road, asking them to sign a postcard to the Prime Minister and collecting their ideas of what climate action we would like to see. It was a beautiful, sunny spring day and many people stopped to talk and share their ideas. If you were one of them, thank you! If you haven't had chance to sign a postcard, you can sign our digital petition instead. We're hoping to deliver the postcards and the petition to local MPs later this month, for them to pass on to the Prime Minister on our behalf. 

Celebrating the Highfields Centre's new project

We were very excited to be invited to celebrate the Highfields Centre being awarded a large grant, which will enable them to install solar panels and create a rooftop garden! The garden will be used and maintained by people from the local community, as well as being available to hire for events. We've already started planning to have a Friends of the Earth party there!

Leicester South MP, Shockat Adam, also attended the event and we were happy to have chance to speak to him about the Big Climate Plan campaign. It was great to hear that he is passionate about climate action and will speak up in parliament about the need for climate action.