| Legislature: | Parliament of the United Kingdom |
| Short Title: | Climate and Nature Bill |
| Long Title: | A Bill to require the Secretary of State to achieve climate and nature targets for the United Kingdom; to give the Secretary of State a duty to implement a strategy to achieve those targets; to establish a Climate and Nature Assembly to advise the Secretary of State in creating that strategy; to give duties to the Committee on Climate Change and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee regarding the strategy and targets; and for connected purposes. |
| Territorial Extent: | England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland |
| Bill: | Climate and Nature Bill |
| Bill Date: | 21 March 2024 |
| Introduced By: | Alex Sobel |
| 1St Reading: | 21 March 2024 |
| 2Nd Reading: | 17 May 2024 |
| Status: | Pending |
| Summary: | A Bill to require the Secretary of State to achieve climate and nature targets for the United Kingdom; to give the Secretary of State a duty to implement a strategy to achieve those targets; to establish a Climate and Nature Assembly to advise the Secretary of State in creating that strategy; to give duties to the Committee on Climate Change and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee regarding the strategy and targets; and for connected purposes. |
The Climate and Nature Bill, formerly promoted as the Climate and Ecology Bill, is a private member's bill before the Parliament of the United Kingdom aimed at tackling the climate crisis and environmental disaster.
The bill, which is currently before the House of Commons following its reintroduction on 21 March 2024, would ensure that the UK Government:
In the Commons, the bill has been presented twice by (the Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, and former Green Party leader) Caroline Lucas. In the 2019-21 session, the first reading of the CE Bill (Bill 172, 2019-20) took place on 2 September 2020.
In the 2021-22 session, the CE Bill (Bill 61, 2021-22) had its first reading on 21 June 2021. A second reading debate was scheduled for 6 May 2022—but the bill was not allocated time to proceed.
In the 2022-23 session, the CE Bill (HL Bill 13) was introduced in the House of Lords by (Liberal Democrat peer and former energy spokesperson) Lord Redesdale. Its first reading took place on 21 May 2022, second reading was 15 July 2022, committee stage was 18 November 2022, report stage was 25 January 2023, and third reading was 21 April.
In the same 2022-23 session, the CE Bill (No.2) (Bill 304, 2022-23) was reintroduced in the House of Commons by Olivia Blake (Labour, Sheffield Hallam) on 10 May 2023.
In the 2023-24 session, the CAN Bill was reintroduced in the House of Commons by Alex Sobel MP (Labour Co-op, Leeds North West) on 21 March 2024.
The bill would "require the Secretary of State to achieve climate and nature targets for the UK; to give the Secretary of State a duty to implement a strategy to achieve those targets; to establish a climate and nature assembly to advise the Secretary of State in creating that strategy; [and] to give duties to the Committee on Climate Change and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee regarding the strategy and targets."[1] [2] [3] [4]
It would establish a representative climate and nature assembly to propose recommendations in line with the proposed legislation's dual targets to tackle the climate and ecological emergency.[5] [6]
John Harris wrote in The Guardian that:
The CE Bill is a neat means of doing two things. It highlights how much our politicians are defying the urgency of the moment and—by presenting clear and precise proposals to drastically reduce carbon emissions and restore biodiversity in the same typefaces and official vocabulary as the laws that define whole swathes of our lives—it makes the prospect of radical action eminently imaginable.[5]
2019-21 session
In the 2019-21 session, Caroline Lucas tabled the bill—and corresponding early day motion 832—on 2 September 2020. It received its first reading the same day[7] and its scheduled second reading date of 26 March 2021 was postponed. 11 MPs co-sponsored the bill—Alan Brown (SNP), Claire Hanna (Social Democratic and Labour Party), Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat), Clive Lewis (Labour), Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru), Stephen Farry (Alliance), Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru), Tommy Sheppard (SNP), Alex Sobel (Labour/Co-op), Zarah Sultana (Labour) and Nadia Whittome (Labour).[8]
2021-22 session
In the 2021-22 session, Caroline Lucas tabled the bill on 21 June 2021 with the support of 11 co-sponsors—Alan Brown (SNP), Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat), Stephen Farry (Alliance), Barry Gardiner (Labour), Claire Hanna (Social Democratic and Labour Party), Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru), Clive Lewis (Labour), Brendan O'Hara (SNP), Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat), Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru) and Alex Sobel (Labour/Co-op). During that session, the bill was scheduled for a second reading debate on four occasions—10 September 2021, 29 October 2021, 10 December 2021 and 6 May 2022.
2022-23 session: CE Bill (No. 1)
For the 2022-23 session, the CE Bill was entered in the House of Lords new session private members' bill ballot by (Liberal Democrat peer) Lord Redesdale. It was drawn 8 of 25 private member's bills. Its first reading took place on 21 May 2022 and its second reading on 15 July 2022. At its second reading, a cross-party group of peers spoke in favour, including Baroness Hooper (Conservative), Baroness Boycott (Crossbench), the Bishop of St Albans, (Liberal Democrat peers) Lord Teverson and Lord Oates, and (Green peer) Baroness Bennett. At committee stage, Lord Redesdale amended the bill to focus on its nature target in light of the agreement reached at COP15 for nations to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030. The amended bill—the Ecology Bill—passed through its House of Lords stages successfully, and was handed over to Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat MP for Bath) on 25 April 2023.
2022-23 session: CE Bill (No. 2)
In the same session, the Labour MP for Sheffield Hallam—Olivia Blake MP—reintroduced the CE Bill in the House of Commons as a private member's bill on 10 May 2023. The bill's co-sponsors were Derek Thomas (Conservative), Peter Bottomley (Conservative), Geraint Davies (Labour/Co-op), Alan Brown (SNP), Brendan O’Hara (SNP), Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat), Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat), Liz Saville-Roberts (Plaid Cymru), Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic and Labour Party), Caroline Lucas (Green), Stephen Farry (Alliance).
2023-24 session
In the 2023-24 session, Alex Sobel tabled an amendment to Charles III's first King's Speech, regretting the lack of a Climate and Ecology Bill in Speech. The amendment was supported by MPs from across the parties, including Caroline Lucas, Daisy Cooper, Liz Saville Roberts, Stephen Farry, Colum Eastwood and George Howarth.
2023-24 session: ‘CAN Bill’
In the same session, the Labour/Co-op MP for Leeds North West— Alex Sobel—introduced the bill under a new title, the Climate and Nature Bill, in the House of Commons as a private member's bill on 21 March 2024. The bill's co-sponsors were Caroline Lucas (Green), Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat), Colum Eastwood (Social Democrat and Labour Party) Brendan O'Hara (SNP), Olivia Blake (Labour), Sir Peter Bottomley (Conservative), Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat), Clive Lewis (Labour), Stephen Farry (Alliance) Alison Thewliss (SNP) and Derek Thomas (Conservative).
Zero Hour (formerly, the CEE Bill Alliance) is a 42,000 person-strong grassroots organisation working to build support for the bill by persuading MPs, peers, mayors, councillors, local authorities, electoral candidates and political parties—as well as businesses, unions, community groups, NGOs, charities, cooperatives, and media organisations—to endorse the proposed legislation.
Allies
Zero Hour's partners include The Climate Coalition, Patagonia, Natura &Co, SUEZ UK, UK Youth for Nature, The Wildlife Trusts, Women's Institutes of Northern Ireland, Surfers Against Sewage, UK Youth Climate Coalition, National Education Union, The Co-operative Bank, Oxfam, The Body Shop and Triodos Bank. The bill is also supported by a wide variety of environmental groups, including WWT, CPRE, Faith for the Climate, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and Extinction Rebellion.[9] [10]
Political supporters
At the time of the CAN Bill's in the House of Commons on 10 May 2023, 132 MPs (from 11 political parties), 40 peers, 353 local authorities, and the London Assembly were backing the bill.
The Alliance Party, Green Party, Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru, SDLP, Yorkshire Party and Welsh Greens officially support the proposed legislation—and MPs from Labour and the Co-operative Party, the SNP, and the DUP are also listed as bill supporters—alongside the Scottish Green MSPs and several Plaid Cymru MSs. The leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, Jane Dodds MS is also a supporter. The youth wings of several political parties are also behind the campaign, including Alliance Youth, Plaid Ifanc, Young Greens and Young Welsh Greens.
Conservative politicians
Alongside Conservative CE Bill supporters in the House of Commons—Peter Bottomley, Roger Gale and Derek Thomas—senior Conservative peers, Baroness Verma and Baroness Hooper support the bill, as does (Theresa May's former environment adviser) Lord Randall of Uxbridge. Conservative MP, Laurence Robertson, stated that he "supports the aims and principles of the bill" on 15 June 2022[11] and the Scottish Conservatives' leader, Douglas Ross MP, has said he will "consider signing the bill when it comes to the Commons for a vote". Mark Garnier, Conservative MP for Wyre Forest, has also met CE Bill supporters to discuss the bill; as have many other Conservative MPs, peers and councillors.
London Assembly
At a regional level, on 2 December 2021, the London Assembly passed a cross-party motion to back the CE Bill—proposed by Zack Polanski AM (Green) and Leonie Cooper AM (Labour/Co-op).[12] The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, subsequently confirmed his support on 15 July 2022 [13] and the chair of London Councils, Cllr Georgia Gould (Camden Council) confirmed her support on 18 April 2023.
Nature & Climate Declaration
Over 2022, Zero Hour organised a UK-wide, all-party initiative—a Nature & Climate Declaration—to attract the support of councillors, mayors, and devolved legislators to the key principles of the CE Bill. It was supported by 2,000 politicians[14] when the Declaration was launched and debated in the Commons in November 2022, including: