Bristol businesses are calling on politicians to back climate bill

A number of leading companies in Bristol – including Triodos Bank, Boston Tea Party, Arup, Sawday’s and Finisterre – have issued a joint letter to parliamentary candidates for all five of the city’s constituencies, asking them to back the climate and nature bill before the project. General elections.

The Climate and Nature Bill (CAN) is new framework legislation designed to address the dual crisis of climate and nature. It was first introduced in Parliament in September 2020 and has two main aims: to reduce UK emissions in line with the UK’s share of the remaining global carbon budget for 1.5°C of global warming; and halt and reverse nature loss by 2030.

The bill offers several benefits to businesses, including a regulatory framework to support the transition to net zero with the lowest possible emissions, the creation of new jobs in green industries, a potential reduction in energy costs as renewables continues to expand and ultimately a more sustainable local economy.

Bevis Watts, chief executive of Triodos Bank UK, who coordinated the letter, said: “Bristol’s business community has joined forces today, on World Environment Day, to campaign for people and nature. We will all benefit from the transition to a low-carbon, nature-positive future and we are calling on our local candidates to represent our combined voices in Parliament. By supporting the Climate and Nature Bill, they will play a vital role in ensuring a bright future for Bristol’s businesses and a happy, healthy and prosperous future for its people. And that’s something we would all vote for.”

James Sutton, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Zero Hour, the campaign group behind the Bill, added: “It’s very telling that so many companies in Bristol have made such a direct appeal to potential parliamentary candidates and sitting MPs in constituencies Bristol. to publicly declare their support for the climate and nature bill. Businesses clearly understand that the CAN Bill represents an opportunity for their companies as well as a tool to manage the governance risk posed by climate and natural crises. The economy and business are always central to the government’s plans, so we stand with businesses in Bristol and hope that their voices are heard and that PPCs make the sensible and obvious choice and commit to the CAN Bill.”

The bill is backed by 180 MPs and peers from all the main parties in the UK Parliament. It also has the support of 851 potential parliamentary candidates who will stand for election in July.

The joint letter, which will be sent to parliamentary candidates for Bristol Central, Bristol East, Bristol North East, Bristol North West and Bristol South next week, states: “As local businesses, we are increasingly vulnerable to climate impacts. extreme weather events as their frequency continues to increase across the UK. We want this to stop.

“Climate and ecological deterioration is a governance risk for businesses everywhere. Our supply chains will be further disrupted by the unpredictable and chaotic climate, and costs to our businesses have the potential to skyrocket due to weather events or climate-related disasters. The CAN Bill can help mitigate this risk to our businesses.

“As we hear so often, there is no business on a dead planet. Our companies and their products and services are based on stable value chains, many of which depend on inputs from nature. The CAN Bill will help reverse the destruction of nature here in the UK, as well as tackling the damage the UK is causing to nature globally through our ecological footprint overseas.”