Zac welcomed the Prime Minister Theresa May to Barnes Wetlands Centre on the 11th January 2018 where the Prime Minister launched the Government’s 25 year Environment Plan. It was the first speech delivered by a British Prime Minister solely on the environment for a quarter of a century.
Launching the 25 Year Environment Plan, the PM set out the government’s determination to leave our environment in a better state than we found it.
She outlined steps for a cleaner, greener Britain – and the elimination of avoidable plastic waste.
One step to help us achieve this is a plan to extend the 5p carrier bag charge to all retailers in England. To date, we have used nine billion fewer plastic bags as a direct consequence of introducing the charge.
The government will also work with supermarkets to encourage them to introduce plastic-free aisles.
To encourage industry to take more responsibility for the environmental impacts of their products and make them easier to recycle, the government will also look at how the tax system or charges could further reduce the amount of waste we create. A call for evidence on how to reduce the use of single-use plastics will begin next month.
United Kingdom Prime Minister Therese May visits London Wetland Centre, Barnes.
It is estimated that 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic have been produced since the 1950s. Research indicates that without urgent action to cut demand this is likely to be 34 billion tonnes by 2050.
In the UK alone, during its recent Great British Beach Clean Up, the Marine Conservation Society found 718 pieces of litter for every 100 metre stretch of beach surveyed, and of this rubbish from food and drink made up at least one fifth.
The Prime Minister also announced plans to help more children engage with the environment. This will be delivered through £10m for school visits and a Nature Friendly Schools programme to create school grounds which allow young people to learn more about the natural world, targeting schools in disadvantaged areas first.
Commenting, Zac said; “It was wonderful to welcome the PM to Barnes and to hear her deliver a speech full of ambition and passion. The brilliant Blue Planet series has visibly moved the political dial on this issue, and the environment has soared up the political agenda. Of coursethere is so much more to be done, but the PM’s speech was symbolically very important and indicated real intent on the Government’s part to restore and protect our environment.”
A full transcript of the PM’s Speech can be found HERE More information on the report can be found HERE
On January 11th, 2018, posted in: Press Release by Zac Goldsmith