Once the UK really was a climate leader. The 2008 Climate Change Act of was the first legally binding climate change mitigation target set by a country. The UK parliament was the first to declare a climate emergency, in May last year.
Both landmarks had cross-party support and followed huge public engagement. Extinction Rebellion protests preceded parliament’s declaration of a climate emergency. Fifteen years ago, more than 100 NGOs, led by Friends of the Earth, came together as part of the Stop Climate Chaos coalition to push for the 2008 ActOnly five MPs (all Conservative) opposed the bill in the Commons.
It was a moment to be proud of, and has led to real change. Wind power is providing as much as 20 percent of the UK’s electricity, and the government is now pledging to quadruple its capacity. Other governments followed the UK in passing climate laws, many of them modelled on the UK Act.
