Cover Image: Wikimedia Commons
Whilst families and businesses struggle to keep a roof over their heads, pay their fuel bills and put food on the table, Liz Truss is busy dismantling many of the vital environmental policies put in place by her own party. Policies intended to protect our future by safeguarding our planet, so we can continue to feed our families for generations to come.
Within weeks of Truss taking office, she had already lifted the 2019 ban on fracking in England that was put into place after 135 earthquakes were recorded in a single year in areas surrounding the Blackpool site. The largest of which measured 2.9 on the richter scale, with reports of locals cowering in their homes and confirmed damage to properties.
Locally, rather than taking on board the concerns of those impacted by increased seismic activity, Energy Secretary Rees-Mogg implied the government would instead consider raising the limit on the size of earthquakes allowed around drilling sites.
Globally, burning all the fossil fuels already in production is expected to warm our planet to over 2°, way above the internationally agreed target of 1.5°. Fracking in the UK will have zero impact on the current fuel crisis and only add to the fossil fuel stockpile.
So why would the government intentionally contribute to fossil fuel reserves, and therefore global warming, whilst actively suppressing greener alternatives; an example being Truss’s imminent ban on solar projects for UK farms. Greener alternatives that would yield greater results than the extraction of fossil fuels, and in a shorter space of time.
A recent investigative report by the Byline Times suggests the answer may lie in Truss’s alleged close associations with a lobbying group called the Global Warming Policy Foundation. Founded by Nigel Lawson in 2009, and rebranded in 2021 as Net Zero Watch, it is widely considered the UK’s highest-profile climate denier group. As a registered charity the group is not legally required to declare its sources of funding. However, investigations have indicated that large donations have been received from billionaires with ties to the fossil fuel industry.
Parallel to this, Brexit has allowed Truss the opportunity to systematically reform and revoke all environmental and animal welfare regulations put in place by the European Union. Ironically called ‘The Retained EU Law Bill’, Rees-Mogg is set to revoke all EU laws by the end of 2023. The Marine Conservation Society has highlighted that vital environmental laws are completely missing from the new bill, including the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017, the Conservation of Offshore Marine and Habitats Species Regulation 2017 and Environmental Damage Regulation 2015. Other regulations ensuring our land and rivers are protected from the use of hazardous chemicals and pesticides banned in the EU are also set for complete reform.
If the recent news of the loss of 70% of our global wildlife isn’t tragic enough, Truss has given zero assurances that vital UK habitats such as Areas of Outstanding Beauty, Sites of Special Scientific Interest, Green Belt land and National Nature Reserves will not be open for designation as ‘Investment Zones’; further threatening our own drastically diminishing wildlife.
To make matters even worse, Truss has also paused the Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS). An innovative scheme where farmers and landowners would only be subsidised by the government if they were to make their land more nature-friendly and practice sustainable farming methods. Alarm bells started ringing for those participating in the scheme when their regular meetings were abruptly removed from their online calendars with no warning or explanation. Due to be launched fully by 2024, ELMS would have ensured the restoration and maintenance of hedgerows, woodland, peatland and rivers, plus a reduction in the use of inorganic pesticides and fertilisers.
Boris Johnson’s ‘Action Plan For Animal Welfare’ (APAW), that promised groundbreaking measures to protect the welfare of farmed and wild animals, is also under threat. Any reforms of this act could negatively impact the living conditions of farmed and factory-farmed animals and the welfare of those travelling to slaughter. It would also allow for exotic wildlife, such as monkeys, to be kept as pets; therefore exacerbating the extremely cruel legal and illegal international trade in wildlife. Tragically, the 'Animals (Abroad) Bill' has already been dropped, which would have prevented the import into the UK of animal parts acquired by trophy hunters, as well as imports of fur and foie gras.
It’s hard to believe that all the progress in recent years driven by organisations and individuals surrounding the protection of our planet and its wildlife, including each of our own personal endeavours and sacrifices, could be jeopardised by a single person in such a short period of time. Someone that the general public had no say in voting into power, and who has no mandate to reverse manifesto pledges made in the last general election.
To ensure that our government continues to focus on nature and wildlife regeneration, and improvements to the welfare of farmed and kept animals, we must support environmental and animal welfare organisations who have the power to make a real difference, such as Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and our National Trusts. We must voice our condemnation in sufficient numbers to significantly impact the influence that climate-denier lobbying groups, such as Net Zero Watch, have on our government.
Please help by signing the Friends of the Earth’s ‘Stop the government’s attack on nature protection' HERE and ‘Tell the Prime Minister to restore the fracking ban’ HERE.
Sign petitions to protect UK wildlife, our right to protest, and other relevant causes at Greenpeace’s ‘Take Action’ webpage HERE.
Find out more about the Global Warming Policy Foundation and Net Zero Watch HERE and the influence they may have over the Conservative Party HERE.
Find out more about The Retained EU Law Bill at the Marine Conservation Society’s website HERE.
Read about the possible reintroduction of previously banned chemicals and pesticides into post-Brexit Britain in an Independent article HERE.