My Climate Change & Environment Update: May 2024

Joining the Friends of Halliwick Rec for a planting session made possible because of the £26,000 grant from the Mayor of London's Grow Back Greener Fund.

It is expected that 2024 will be the hottest year on record, likely exceeding 2023, where temperatures were 1.48C above the pre-industrial average. In fact, the EU’s climate change agency has released data indicating that April 2024 was the hottest on record globally. Between March and April, a region across the Sahel and West Africa experienced extreme heat, with maximum temperatures in the Sahel reaching more than 45°C and minimum temperatures of 32°C in Burkina Faso. Kayes in Mali recorded 48.5°C in the first week of April. Morocco is currently experiencing a heatwave across the whole country, after suffering from its sixth consecutive drought.

And it’s not just the warm weather that we should worry about. Indonesia, USA, France, Kenya, Oman, Uruguay, and Argentina are just some of the countries tackling deadly floods and landslides in the last week. Flooding in southern Brazil has killed 90 and displaced more than 155,000 people. The state governor has called it the “biggest ever climate castrophe” as he orders authorities to look for the estimated 131 missing persons.

And just remember, we are only 5 months into the year and much of the world will get hotter in the summer months. Some of you have recently written to me about a survey conducted by The Guardian, involving almost 400 senior authors from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Almost 80% expected a rise of at least 2.5C above preindustrial levels, way above the 1.5C target. Many expressed their personal anguish at the lack of climate action. This is a wake-up call to everyone that governments need to stop delaying and deliver on their climate commitments. This includes our Prime Minister who, at the end of last year, U-turned on key climate targets, such as pushing back the deadline for selling new petrol and diesel cars and the phasing out of gas boilers. The IPCC is currently preparing its Seventh Assessment Report and I eagerly await its publication.

Here are some of the things I’ve been doing in Parliament since your last newsletter:

My contribution to the debate on Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases

In January, I took part in Patrick Grady MP’s Westminster Hall debate where I spoke about the impact of the pandemic on tackling malaria and neglected tropical diseases. It is deeply concerning that global weather changes such as increased rainfall, flooding and heatwaves are raising biological threats such as insecticide and drug resistance. You can read my full speech here. Last week, I read an interesting report by Nature that has found that “anthropogenic change is contributing to the rise in emerging infectious diseases, which are significantly correlated with socioeconomic, environmental and ecological factors”. The study has revealed that biodiversity loss, chemical pollution, climate change and introduced species are associated with increases in infectious disease outbreaks. These outbreaks are more dangerous, widespread, and difficult to cure. All of this is yet another example of why tackling the climate emergency is so important and will save millions of lives.

Update from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Trees

Earlier this year, I attended a meeting with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Trees, and I was really pleased to hear that Hornsey and Wood Green received a Tree Equity Score of 99 out of 100, ranking amongst the highest constituencies for canopy cover. A copy of the report on tree coverage in Hornsey and Wood Green can be viewed here. As many of you may know, last year in Parliament I secured an Adjournment Debate on threats to urban trees and I will continue campaigning for more protections to be put in place which recognise the value of trees to our communities. Everyone deserves to live in a healthy environment and access to trees and green spaces is vital to this.

Alex Sobel MP talks climate, COP, and energy to the Haringey Labour Climate Group

In March, the Haringey Labour Climate Group invited Alex Sobel MP and Haringey’s Mike Hakata, Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Environment, and Transport and Deputy Leader of the Council, to discuss tackling the climate emergency on a local, national, and global level. It was a fascinating discussion where Alex revealed all the behind-the-scenes action that takes place at COP and the role of diplomacy in securing global agreements on the climate. I’m grateful for Councillor Mike’s input on how Haringey Council is doing their part in making our borough greener and more friendly for walkers and cyclists.

Labour’s Green Prosperity Plan

Earlier this year, many of you wrote to me about Labour’s Green Prosperity Plan. I would like to assure you that Labour are absolutely committed to tackling the climate crisis. We couldn’t foreshadow Liz Truss’ disastrous mini budget that saw £20bn lost through unfunded cuts to national insurance and stamp duty, and another £10bn through raised interest rates and government borrowing costs. Interest rates have gone up 12 times since 2021 and remain stubbornly high, meaning public borrowing is significantly more expensive than it was when Labour first laid out our plans. However, in the face of this we are still committed to a significant ramping up of capital investment in the green economy, significantly more than any other Party which seeks to govern the UK while being sensible with public finances and spending on other priorities as well, like fixing the NHS and boosting our education system. As someone who believes passionately that climate justice is social justice, this is something I care about deeply.

Sadiq’s mayoral win for London

Sadiq’s historical third term victory as London Mayor is a triumph for the people of London and for the fight against the climate emergency. The Conservative opponent, Susan Hall, represented climate dither and delay – she called for the government to delay its commitment to be carbon net zero by 2050, promised to undo existing work to clean up London’s toxic air and make cycling safer and lastly, she pledged to increase car use – even though London is already one of the most car-choked cities in the world.

In April, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and shadow energy secretary Ed Miliband launched a new climate action plan for London, Net Zero Schools. This initiative will help schools become sources of energy generation by investing an initial £2 million for solar panels and other measures at 50 sites across the capital. This is in addition to the Mayor’s excellent work on tackling toxic air pollution and increasing green spaces. In London, we have already seen the difference Labour in power can make. Backed by a Labour Government I have no doubt we can set a world-leading agenda on climate and energy.

Some of my recent Written Parliamentary Questions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of amending regulations to require that cycle helmets be worn when hiring an e-bike. Response here
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of amending planning rules to make it easier to install bicycle sheds in front gardens. Response here
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of climate change on UK food security. Response here
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with the National Farmers’ Union of England and Wales on steps to improve crop resilience. Response here
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure home grown crops are resilient to climate change, in the context of increased (a) rainfall and (b) warmer weathers. Response here
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the report by Mahon, M.B. et al. entitled A meta-analysis on global change drivers and the risk of infectious disease, published in Nature on 8 May 2024. Response here
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has had recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on preparations for a potential heatwave in summer 2024 Response here