This week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published its conclusion of findings by the world’s scientists. Although we all understand the severity of the climate crisis and its destruction, this report is damning and presents a terrifying picture of our present and near-future if action isn’t taken.

According to the report, “It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land…“human influence has likely increased the chance of compound extreme events since the 1950s, including increases in the frequency of concurrent heatwaves and droughts”. Across the world, we are witnessing more and more deadly natural disasters and the report proves that human activity and behaviour plays a big part in this. In my constituency of Hornsey and Wood Green, we have seen that flash flooding is becoming more common and the impact is devastating – extreme weather can damage homes and community centres and cause accidents. Extreme weather is not just happening in some foreign country far away from us, it’s happening right on our doorstep. In Parliament, I have consistently urged Ministers to develop a proper prevention strategy to ensure London can fully defend itself against extreme weather. But as usual, they would prefer to bury their heads in the sand.

I am deeply concerned that the impact of the climate crisis is hitting the most vulnerable people. Approximately 3.3 – 3.6 billion people live in contexts that are highly vulnerable to climate change and as a result, their daily lives and ability to survive worsens. As the report says, “increasing weather and climate extreme events have exposed millions of people to acute food insecurity and reduced water security, with the largest adverse impacts on communities in Africa, Asia, Centra and South Americas, LDCs, Small Islands and the Artic, and globally for Indigenous peoples, small-scale food producers and low-income households”. In fact, between 2010 and 2020, human mortality from floods, droughts and storms was 15 times higher in highly vulnerable regions. Last year, I wrote to the Foreign Secretary calling for a firm commitment to supporting climate vulnerable countries and ensuring that aid reaches those who need it most. More widely, I believe that developed nations have a moral duty to provide climate finance to developing nations, an issue that I wrote about after COP26 in Glasgow.

Our planet’s reliance on fossil fuel must end and we need to look at renewable, sustainable and long-term energy security. To truly deliver energy security and sustainability and lower bills, I believe we need to have a green energy sprint. Firstly, we need to end the Government’s effective moratorium on onshore wind – which since 2015 has effectively lost us clean power capacity equal to all our Russian gas imports over that time – and instead double our capacity by 2030. We should also double offshore wind capacity by 2035, triple solar power by 2030 and embrace tidal power.

The Conservatives are dragging their feet on this, and not putting in the investment, leaving families, businesses, and the international community to go it alone. That is an economically irresponsible choice when the OBR tells us that delaying net zero will cost more down the line. Given that the UK hosted COP26 less than two years ago, our inaction and continued denial is shameful. What’s more, the Treasury continues to hand energy companies lucrative tax breaks through deliberate loopholes. When will it finally act and deliver on renewable energy, energy security and affordable bills?  I challenged the Minister on this in Parliament:

I have now written to the new Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero and asked for his thoughts on this report and how he is working to guarantee UK energy security and independence. You can see my letter to the Secretary of State here.

However, Labour is different.

We would focus on leading by example, supporting the international community, and piling the pressure on big polluters – both nations and fossil fuel giants – to step up and do more. Our Shadow Chancellor, Rachel Reeves MP, has said she wants to be the “Britain’s first green Chancellor” and has committed to listen to the science and investing in £28bn a year in climate measures. We have a clear and costed plan, and we will make sure that our green transition is just, effective, and kind to people and planet.