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Over 1,000 climate scientists, academics, and medical professionals have signed a letter urging MPs to support a bold new bill to tackle the climate and nature crises.
The Climate and Nature Bill (CAN Bill) is a proposed piece of legislation in the UK that aims to address the interlinked climate and ecological crises in a “holistic” manner.
It aims to reduce UK emissions in line with the country’s fair share of the remaining global carbon budget for limiting warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
The bill also sets a goal to halt and reverse nature’s destruction by 2030. To do this, backers propose a radical, integrated plan that involves all parts of the government to address these crises.
And it would provide a legal framework to ensure a joined-up, science-led approach to environmental issues.
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The bill also aims to align UK laws with Britain’s international commitments on climate and biodiversity, and require the UK to account for its overseas impact on biodiversity and imported emissions.
Backers say the CAN Bill is grounded in the strongest scientific evidence available, with support from over 1,000 leading scientists and experts in related fields.
It’s being presented as a necessary evolution of existing environmental legislation, such as the Climate Change Act 2008 and the Environment Act 2021, to meet the full scale and urgency of the climate and nature crises.
A symbolic protest took place outside Parliament this Monday, with scientists handing the letter to politicians and offering oak tree saplings.
The letter is led by prominent figures including Prof Dame E.J. Milner-Gulland and Prof Nathalie Pettorelli, and includes Nobel laureates as signatories.
British entomologist and television presenter Dr George McGavin said at Monday’s protest: “We’re here representing over 1,000 climate scientists, ecologists and medical experts calling on MPs to fast track the Climate and Nature Bill.
“We can see MPs arriving today back after summer recess, and it’s time to get to work. This week is critical: we need as many MPs to enter the private members bill ballot as possible [to] introduce the CAN Bill, while there’s still time.”
There’s a window of opportunity for MPs to prioritise the CAN Bill during the Private Members’ Ballot Bill process, starting September 5th. The archaic process sees backbench bills picked from a hat by random, by a Commons official. They are then given time in Parliament to be debated and voted on.
If an MP supporting the CAN Bill is among the top 20 winners of the ballot, they can progress the bill towards becoming law.
The bill already has support from 20% of Labour MPs, according to net zero activists, being backed by 163 MPs and 58 Peers across parties.
While Labour supports the “ambitions and objectives” of the CAN Bill, the new government hasn’t yet fully committed to it as part of their legislative program.
The letter emphasises this as a “historic moment” and the “last, best chance” for UK leadership in addressing climate and nature issues.
Its core aim is to reduce UK emissions in line with the 1.5°C warming limit and halt and reverse nature’s destruction by 2030.
The Zero Hour campaign, which is spearheading the legislation, is mobilising constituents to urge their MPs and the Prime Minister to support and give parliamentary time to the CAN Bill.
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Letter in Full
Dear all Members of Parliament,
Re: Climate and Nature Bill
We, a group of climate scientists, conservationists, ecologists, health professionals and others, are writing to ask for your help to ensure that the UK can rise to the challenge of our times.
We are acutely aware of the existential threat that humanity faces from climate change and the loss of nature. July 2024 was the thirteenth consecutive month where global temperatures reached 1.5°C above pre-industrial averages. There are more than 163,000 species on the IUCN Red List, with more than 45,300 species threatened with extinction, including 41% of amphibians, 26% of mammals and 12% of birds. We have also crossed six of nine planetary boundaries—the safe operating spaces for humanity—and breaching these limits increases the risk of generating large-scale, abrupt or irreversible environmental changes. Around the world, climate-driven droughts, flooding, heat waves and wildfires are commonplace and are making life intolerable for millions of people.
You may feel that these issues seem far from our shores, but nothing could be further from the truth. The UK is one of the most nature-depleted nations on Earth. Pollution is ruining the waters we drink and swim in, the air we breathe, and the soil we depend on for nutrition. The loss of nature is impacting your constituents’ health and the free delivery of services we rely on from nature, such as pest control, flood risk mitigation, urban shading and food security. Furthermore, nature’s break