Why we need a Fair Deal for the Environment

We’re incredibly proud of our country’s natural beauty. From rivers to lakes, beaches to forests, our precious environment must be protected for future generations. 

But the natural environment is suffering. The UK is failing to meet 17 of its 20 biodiversity targets. 

The Conservatives’ neglect is evident in the sewage crisis, marked by a million sewage discharges into rivers, lakes and coastal areas in the last three years, lasting over 7.5 million hours. Meanwhile, water company executives awarded themselves £51 million in 2020 and 2021, including £30 million in bonuses and benefits. 

This is a rotten deal - urgent action is needed to end nature’s decline. 

Protecting nature

We’re fighting for a Fair Deal that will deliver protections and end the sewage crisis for good. 

We will: 

✅ Set meaningful and binding targets to stop the decline of our natural environment and double nature by 2050: doubling the size of the Protected Area Network, the area of vital wildlife habitats and species abundance. 

✅ Strengthen the Office for Environmental Protection and increase funding for the Environment Agency and Natural England. 

✅ End sewage discharges by transforming water companies into public benefit companies, ban bonuses for water bosses until discharges and leaks end, and replace Ofwat with a tough new regulator with new powers to prevent sewage dumps. 

Tackling the climate crisis

Protecting the environment goes hand-in-hand with tackling the biggest threat to human existence - climate change. 

We must limit temperature rises to 1.5°C to prevent catastrophic land loss and stop parts of our planet from becoming inhabitable. Millions already suffer from increased wildfires, floods, heatwaves, droughts and sea level rises. 

The Conservative Government’s net zero strategy is failing - they’ve supported greater oil and gas production, approved a new coal mine, and failed to boost home insulation effectively. 

We must get back on track and address the climate crisis as an urgent priority. 

We will: 

✅ Cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2045. 

✅ Invest in renewable power to generate 80% of the UK’s electricity from renewables by 2030. 

✅ Provide free retrofits for low-income homes and tax incentives for other households to reduce energy consumption, emissions, fuel bills and reliance on gas. 

✅ Create a Net Zero Delivery Authority, strengthen local authorities to cut emissions and promote community energy and ensure all new homes have solar panels. 

✅ Plant at least 60 million trees a year and increase the use of sustainable wood in construction. 

✅ Ensure net zero commitments are central to any international trade agreement. 

By doing so, we can save our environment, save lives, and transform our economy, creating tens of thousands of jobs. 

That’s the fair deal for the environment and climate that we’ll be fighting for at the General Election.