Tom Hill writes that the Queen’s speech gives some ground for optimism when it comes to commitments on the environment. He nevertheless warns that we will only be able to assess how serious the government really is about tackling the climate emergency after the 2020 budget

Hill, Tom

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The Queen's Speech made some of the right noises on the environment.But now is the time to translate words into deedsLSE Research Online URL for this paper: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/103666/Version: Published VersionOnline resource:Hill, Tom (2019) The Queen's Speech made some of the right noises on the environment. But now is the time to translate words into deeds. British Policy andPolitics at LSE (01 Dec 2019), pp. 1-2. Blog Entry. lseresearchonline@lse.ac.ukhttps://eprints.lse.ac.uk/ ReuseItems deposited in LSE Research Online are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved unless indicated otherwise. They may be downloaded and/or printed for private study, or other acts as permitted by national copyright laws. The publisher or other rights holders may allow further reproduction and re-use of the full text version. This is indicated by the licence information on the LSE Research Online record for the item.The	Queen’s	Speech	made	some	of	the	right	noiseson	the	environment.	But	now	is	the	time	to	translatewords	into	deedsTom	Hill	writes	that	the	Queen’s	speech	gives	some	ground	for	optimism	when	it	comes	tocommitments	on	the	environment.	He	nevertheless	warns	that	we	will	only	be	able	to	assess	howserious	the	government	really	is	about	tackling	the	climate	emergency	after	the	2020	budget.The	Queen’s	Speech	saw	the	government	make	some	welcome	commitments	on	climate	changeand	the	environment	for	the	next	Parliament.	But	what	are	we	to	make	of	what	has	been	outlinedso	far?	Is	the	government	offering	a	prospectus	for	real	change	or	are	we	likely	to	be	looking	atmore	of	the	same?If	we	start	with	the	climate	perspective,	it	looks	as	if	there	are	some	grounds	for	optimism.	The	briefing	documentthat	accompanied	the	Queen’s	Speech	indicates	that	clean	energy,	energy-efficient	retrofit,	and	the	installation	ofelectric	vehicle	infrastructure	will	form	a	central	plank	of	the	Chancellor’s	first	budget.	It	also	reconfirms	thegovernment’s	commitment	to	a	£640	million	‘Nature	for	Climate	Fund’	through	which	it	says	that	it	will	plant	30million	trees	a	year.Particularly	welcome	was	the	government’s	reference	to	net	zero	carbon	emissions	as	being	one	of	the	two	keyaims	of	the	national	infrastructure	strategy	–	the	other	being	to	‘unleash	Britain’s	potential	by	levelling	up	andconnecting	every	part	of	the	country’.	Going	forwards,	something	to	look	out	for	is	the	extent	to	which	thegovernment	indicates	a	willingness	to	devolve	power	and	responsibility	for	delivering	net	zero	to	the	regional	andlocal	level	–	at	IPPR	we	have	argued	that	a	decentralised	approach	is	much	more	likely	to	be	successful	than	onethat	is	orchestrated	from	London.By	twinning	its	response	to	climate	change	with	that	of	‘sharing	prosperity	across	all	of	the	UK	the	government	ismaking	the	right	noises	in	terms	of	delivering	a	‘Just	Transition’	to	net	zero	–	ensuring	fair	treatment	of	workers	andcommunities	disrupted	by	the	changes	needed	to	meet	the	net	zero	target.	How	successful	the	government	will	bein	this	will	obviously	depend	on	how	quickly	it	develops	a	much	more	detailed	implementation	plan	and,	critically,how	well	these	plans	are	to	be	financed.	Time	is	not	on	the	government’s	side	and	the	policy	gap	between	wherewe	are	and	where	we	need	to	be	is	considerable	–	the	UK	is	not	currently	on	target	to	meet	its	legally	binding	fourthand	fifth	carbon	budgets.	The	government	will	need	to	put	decarbonisation	at	the	very	forefront	of	its	first	budget	inearly	2020.In	terms	of	wider	environmental	policy,	the	government	also	re-introduced	the	Environment	Bill,	which	it	says	will‘protect	and	improve	the	environment	for	future	generations’.	This	Bill	enshrines	environmental	principles	into	lawand	establishes	legally-binding	targets,	plans	and	policies	for	improving	the	natural	environment.	It	also	makesprovision	for	a	new	‘Office	for	Environmental	Protection’	whose	task	it	will	be	to	monitor	and	oversee	thegovernment’s	progress	against	the	targets	and	plans	that	it	sets	out.Whilst	welcome,	there	are	three	potential	loopholes	that	could	curtail	the	Bill’s	effectiveness.	Firstly,	the	Bill	makesno	provision	regarding	what	the	improvement	targets	should	actually	be.	While	it	makes	provision	for	a	‘significantimprovement	test’,	it	fails	to	define	what	this	actually	entails.	In	practice,	this	means	that	the	government	still	hasscope	to	set	targets	that	are	well	below	what	is	needed	to	deliver	sustainable	or	healthy	outcomes.	At	IPPR	wehave	argued	that	the	targets	covered	under	the	Environment	Bill	should	be	treated	in	the	similar	way	as	greenhousegases	are	treated	under	the	2008	Climate	Change	Act	–	by	setting	boundary	constraints	that	explicitly	mandate	thatenvironmental	impacts	are	brought	to	within	sustainable	and	healthy	limits,	with	interim	targets	along	the	way.Which	brings	us	to	the	second	loophole	–	the	targets	proposed	under	the	Bill	will	not	be	assessed	for	15	years	ormore.	To	be	effective,	legally-binding	interim	targets	are	also	needed.	Again	there	is	precedence	for	this	under	theClimate	Change	Act	through	its	use	of	five	year	“carbon	budgets”.British Politics and Policy at LSE: The Queen’s Speech made some of the right noises on the environment. But now is the time to translate words into deeds Page 1 of 2		Date originally posted: 2019-12-20Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/queens-speech-environment/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/Finally,	the	requirement	to	seek	oversight	and	advice	is	more	limited	in	the	Environment	Bill	than	it	could	be.	Underthe	Environment	Bill	the	Secretary	of	State	is	required	to	seek	advice	from	persons	who	they	consider	to	beindependent	and	have	the	relevant	experience.	By	contrast,	the	Climate	Change	Act	requires	the	government	todelegate	this	responsibility	to	the	independent	Committee	on	Climate	Change,	which	has	established	a	much	morerigorous	process	for	the	analysis	of	evidence.So,	where	does	this	leave	us	in	terms	of	understanding	the	scale	and	ambition	of	the	government’s	agenda?	At	lessthan	a	month	into	this	Parliament	it	is	still	too	early	to	tell	whether	we	are	looking	at	a	step-change	in	ambition	orsimply	more	of	the	same.	There	are	some	grounds	for	optimism	but	the	budget	in	early	2020	will	be	the	first	point	inthis	new	parliament	that	we’ll	be	able	to	assess	whether	the	government	is	really	serious	about	tackling	the	climateand	nature	emergency.The	2020s	must	be	a	decade	of	action.	Whether	this	government	is	up	to	scale	of	the	challenge	will	only	becomeclear	over	the	next	few	weeks	and	months._________________About	the	AuthorTom	Hill	is	a	Senior	Research	Fellow	at	IPPR	and	works	on	the	IPPR	Environmental	JusticeCommission.			All	articles	posted	on	this	blog	give	the	views	of	the	author(s),	and	not	the	position	of	LSE	British	Politics	and	Policy,nor	of	the	London	School	of	Economics	and	Political	Science.	Featured	image	credit:	Pixabay	(Public	Domain).	British Politics and Policy at LSE: The Queen’s Speech made some of the right noises on the environment. But now is the time to translate words into deeds Page 2 of 2		Date originally posted: 2019-12-20Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/queens-speech-environment/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/

The Queen's Speech made some of the right noises on the environment. But now is the time to translate words into deeds

http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/103666/1/politicsandpolicy_queens_speech.pdf

The Queen's Speech made some of the right noises on the environment. But now is the time to translate words into deeds

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