Will these be the headlines every year from now on?

“Severe drought affects three-quarters of England”

“UK bracing for ‘unprecedented’ fifth heatwave – as 36C temperatures on way“

Last month, I cycled along the coast of western France and just escaped the wildfires that raged across over 42,000 hectares (over 100,000 acres) of forests, destroying homes, wildlife and trees. It was a wake-up call for me. These fires, and the droughts and heatwaves, are caused by climate change. I know some people are fed up with these words, but that’s the truth of the matter.

Western Europe had its hottest June-July period on record, surpassing previous thresholds set in 2022 and the summer is not over yet! The hot, dry weather has affected food production, people’s health and our water supply with empty reservoirs. We’ll probably find when the reports come out later on this year that the economy has suffered with lower productivity. So what do we do?

The simple answer is to stop using fossil fuels, i.e., oil and gas.

In the UK the worst offenders are emissions in the transport sector and emissions from buildings

Transport: accounts for roughly 29% of total domestic emissions, driven largely by road vehicles burning fossil fuels. We need to move away from petrol and diesel engines to electric and, if possible, green hydrogen propulsion. Shipping and air travel needs to be much more efficient in terms of the fuel they use and be powered by hybrid/low emissions systems.

Buildings & Product Uses: generates around 20% to 22% of emissions, primarily from heating homes and commercial spaces. We need to adapt them with solar power and renewable energy systems like air source heat pumps. The Government should legislate to prevent the installation of gas central heating. Buildings also have to be adapted to cope with climate change. Industry must improve the efficiency of commercial and industrial premises. Everyday produced and industrial processes must become more efficient and use less electricity, as do the new data centres.

The UK government must act now. And there are benefits because by moving over to better quality buildings, to power the transport sector with hydrogen and electric power, we can employ more people bringing on board new efficient systems. More and diverse renewable energy system production along with innovation of more efficient industrial and building products with employ more people than a few oil and gas wells in the North Sea! The Green Economy will boost our economy and reduce our balance of payments as the UK Pound will get stronger! Go for it Andy Burnham!