We must ensure that our oceans are protected for marine wildlife and future generations.

I believe we should extend the network of Marine Protected Areas, and co-operate with our overseas territories to extend Blue Belt provisions in oceans around the world.

The UK is calling for 30% of the world’s oceans to be protected by 2030 in order to help marine wildlife and habitats to recover and thrive, but we need this to be agreed at an international level.

I have written to the Prime Minister and asked him to send a senior minister to New York for the final round of Global Ocean Treaty negotiations to make the case for protecting our oceans.  I have posted a copy of this letter below.

Waste, including plastic waste, deepens our carbon footprint and pollutes our land and seas, killing wildlife and contaminating our food. We need to adopt a root-and-branch comprehensive approach to dealing with our waste that reduces the amount created in the first place, recycles the maximum of waste that is produced and protects our environment from pollution.

The Government plans to implement measures on plastic pollution, such as a deposit return scheme for drinks container, a levy to increase the proportion of recyclable plastics in packaging and to require producers to pay the full costs of dealing with the waste they produce. I urge the Government to put these measures in place as soon as possible.

We need urgent and decisive action now to address this climate and environment emergency. I am concerned that the Government’s commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 is far too late. At the current rate of progress, we will not reach net zero until 2099.

I support plans for a Green Industrial Revolution to achieve the substantial majority of our emissions reductions by 2030. I believe we should introduce a Climate and Environmental Emergency Bill that sets out in law robust, new standards for decarbonisation, nature recovery, habitats and species protection, and environmental quality.

I can assure you that throughout this Parliament I will hold the Government to account on protecting our oceans and addressing the climate crisis.