Anna Vickerstaff, 350.org commented:
“Thanks to the work of incredible grassroots movements like the Youth Strikers, the UK government is finally waking up to the need for climate action, and placing it higher on their agenda.
“But today’s ‘Net Zero’ announcement still doesn’t address the urgency and scale of the climate crisis – urgency long understood by the communities on the frontlines of its impacts around the world. We need a real plan to transform our economy, secure a liveable climate, and build a more just society in the process. That means a Green New Deal for the UK.
“We reject Chancellor Philip Hammond’s claims that emissions cuts will require further punishing austerity. Climate action means investing to transform our economy – creating good jobs, housing and services, and affordable energy for all.
“Instead of cutting funding to schools and hospitals, our government should be stopping public money from pouring into dirty energy projects around the world, and addressing the enormous profits of fossil fuel companies who are trashing our planet.
“We’re told that we can’t have a safe climate and an economy that works for people. But the only realistic climate plan is one ambitious enough to match the scale of the crisis, and to transform our society for the better.”