The group is united in wanting to see mayoral candidates commit to a Green Recovery for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and have invited candidates to a virtual hustings meeting on Thursday 15th April.
The urgent need to see nature in recovery across at least 30% of land and seas by 2030 has been reiterated by the Government and is echoed in a 10-point plan recently published by The Climate Coalition.
A spokesperson for the organisations co-hosting the Hustings said “As people across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough vote in 2021 there is a need to focus on a new way forward. The old normal was bad for people and bad for the planet. Today presents an opportunity to create a society that’s fairer, an economy that works for everyone, and an environment that’s healthy. But only if Metro Mayors do the right thing, and if candidates commit now to prioritising action on the climate and ecological emergencies.”
Prioritising action to tackle the climate and ecological emergencies would help create more jobs, make farming more sustainable, improve public transport across the region, and contribute to the Combined Authority’s ambition to double the area of land managed for nature.
A report published by the Combined Authority Independent Commission on Climate Change found that emissions in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough region are 25% higher than the UK average. This shows the need for this region to lead on climate action, and in doing, this could create over 11,000 new green jobs through retrofitting homes and other measures, improving the local economy and the natural environment.
The hustings meeting will take place via zoom on Thursday 15th April 7-8.30pm and participants can register and submit their questions to candidates on the subject of the climate and the environment for a Green Recovery here.