Making the UK parliament the first in the world, MPs have now passed a motion declaring an 'environment and climate change emergency'.
On Wednesday 1st May 2019, members backed a non-binding labour motion in the House of Commons, making a big step in history. This symbolic move means that the urgency to combat climate change is now being recognised, following the wave of protests that took place in recent weeks by the Extinction Rebellion.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, has expressed that this is "a huge step forward" and is hopeful this will "set off a wave of action from parliaments and governments around the globe". Corbyn stated that "We pledge to work as closely as possible with countries that are serious about ending the climate catastrophe and make clear to US President Donald Trump that he cannot ignore international agreements and action on the climate crisis."
A climate emergency has already be declared by many cities and towns in the UK, with many local areas stating they want to be carbon-neutral by 2030. In order to help achieve this goal many councils have promised to build sustainable homes and introduce electric car hubs to help reduce emissions. It can be seen that these UK councils are being much more ambitious that the UK government, who have set a target to reduce carbon emissions by 80% in 2050.
We can all see that the next generation will face the consequences if we do not action change now to help combat climate change. This is a very historic movement from the UK and very hopeful news. We now just need other nations to follow and take immediate action, and maybe with this sort of attitude we can protect our planet from it's current scary and dark future.