Fiona welcomes the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan announced by the Prime Minister Theresa May Secretary and Environment Secretary Michael Gove which pledges to eliminate avoidable waste, introduce new safeguards for wildlife and connect more children with nature.

The Government’s plan, titled “A Green Future: Our 25 Year Plan to Improve the Environment”, sets out how the government will; eliminate all avoidable plastic waste, help wildlife thrive, become a world leader in environmental protection, deliver a Green Brexit, embed a ‘net environmental gain’ principle to development and connect people with nature by creating ‘nature friendly schools’. The Plan also includes a natural capital approach, meaning that any plan will have to consider the natural assets which include geology, soil, air, water and all living things. This will ensure additional benefits such as health and wellbeing will be included, which help improve and direct decision making.

The plan sits alongside the Government’s Clean Growth Strategy, which addresses cutting carbon emissions to combat climate change and drive economic growth.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said:

“Respecting nature’s intrinsic value and making sure we are wise stewards of our natural world is critical if we are to leave the environment in a better state that we inherited it. Our Environment Plan sets out how over the next 25 years we will radically reduce waste that is choking oceans and rivers, cleanse our air of toxic pollutants and create new habitats for our most precious wildlife to thrive. Through this plan we will build on our reputation as a global leader in environment protection, creating an environment everyone can enjoy and helping the next generation flourish.”

Fiona said:

“I welcome the Government’s plan for a greener future, which will ensure that our children can enjoy a cleaner environment, with a more thriving countryside. This is a long-term challenge – so it is important we make a start in this generation and inspire the next to do so. Vital steps are already being taken by this Conservative Government to make change in many environmentally important areas – To ban ivory trading, to make CCTV in all slaughterhouses compulsory and to prohibit micro beads in cosmetics. These will make a real difference to the environment and globally.

It is important that action is taken to tackle climate change both in the UK and abroad, helping developing countries to be more environmentally friendly in their development, through our international aid budget since many developing countries have a much steeper journey to climb to improve their environmental stewardship and those of us who now understand this better should give an international lead, which I am pleased the UK is doing.”