To mark 100 days since the election the Climate Coalition urged its members to meet with their MPs to call for more action for people, climate and nature. As both Greenpeace and the WI are members of the Climate Coalition, I arranged for a small representative group of constituents to meet our new Labour MP Sadik Al-Hassan at the church on the afternoon of Sunday 13th October.
Constituents spoke with Sadik about climate change, planning policy, public transport especially for wheelchair users, rivers pollution, heat pumps, solar panels, public policy on energy use, a closer working relationship with the European Union on environmental matters and the Climate and Nature Bill.
In addition to Greenpeace and the WI, the Nailsea Climate Emergency Group and Nailsea Methodist’s Eco Church team were also represented at the meeting.
The activity is part of the Common Grounds Campaign, led by The Climate Coalition. In the July election, more than 70% of people said they would vote with climate and nature in mind, and at least 243 seats, including North Somerset, flipped to parties which were standing on stronger climate and nature platforms, demonstrating the strength of feeling among the UK public for greater action on the climate and nature crises.
The Climate Coalition are calling for the new government to prioritise 6 key areas to tackle the climate and nature crises and the cost-of-living crisis. Greenpeace is calling these the six Ws.
Warm homes - Fix the UK's draughty homes and help poorer households to pay costly energy bills
Wind power - Power the UK with affordable home-grown renewable energy
Wheels - Roll-out cheaper and better buses and trains for healthier air
Wildlife - Stop sewage and chemicals polluting our rivers and seas, prevent overfishing and industrial farming and rewild our countryside
Workers - Make the economy work for everyone, clean up the banks and support workers into jobs in the industries of the future
World - Protect our oceans and cut plastic, protect our democracy and human rights, and stop new drilling for oil and gas and tax big oil companies to support people facing the worst climate impacts.
At the end of the meeting Sadik signed a banner promising to take action to tackle the climate and nature emergency.