Britain could lose a year in tackling climate change, warns West Midlands politician
A West Midlands politician has warned the coronavirus outbreak will set Britain back a year in tackling climate change.
Kathryn Downs, Green Party candidate for West Midlands Mayor, believes the Government must emerge from the lockdown with kick-started plans.
She also says employers should allow staff to work from home - a move which could help reduce emissions.
Ms Downs told the Express & Star: "The pandemic is truly awful and my thoughts go out to the families of those affected.
"But the climate emergency we face isn’t waiting for the coronavirus pandemic to end - and neither must we.
"By the time the pandemic is over, we will most likely have lost a year tackling the climate emergency.
"We need to find ways to make up for that time if we are to stand any chance of meeting targets set out in the Paris Agreement - let alone the 2030 target that science now tells us we need."
In 2016, the UK signed the Paris Agreement with the intention of eliminating carbon emissions by 2050.
In its manifesto last year, the Green Party set a target of becoming carbon-neutral by 2030.
New initiatives will be needed to meet those targets. But some of those may have been recognised during the lock down.
Innovative
One could be home-working, an initiative which was forced on employers due to travel restrictions in place.
"The current lockdown is causing many of us to reassess our way of life," she said.
"It has forced employers to consider innovative methods of working. They have discovered that, in fact, many jobs can be done just as well from home.
"The benefit for individuals in this would be in the flexibility to plan their working days, and the time saved from not having to commute. This additional time can be spent improving our quality of life."
Another way of tackling emissions would be in switching to greener forms of technology.
Ms Downs believes the Government is not doing enough to bring about a change in society.
"Many of the technologies we need already exist," she said.
"But we have lacked the investment and willpower so far to switch en masse to a greener way of life and of business."
