Queue for Climate and Nature Open Letter

To the Political Parties of the UK,

We, the business leaders of the UK, along with the majority of our population and social institutions, recognise we’re at a crucial moment. Wise decision making is needed to shore up the future stability of our energy systems, environment and the natural world we are part of and rely on daily.

Furthermore, we urgently need to transform how we operate our economy and our society in ways that don’t continue to destabilise or damage the environment and markets within which we operate.

The UK has been a globally recognised lead advocate for tackling climate change, exemplified in our role as host of COP26, and parliament’s early declaration of a climate emergency. Sustainable business is better business - both socially and in terms of revenue. To maintain a thriving sector that meets societies needs, we need the government to provide a long-term vision, clear policies and a roadmap for a transition. This will enable us to gather resources for any required investment, and train up a workforce to do what’s needed to ensure we remain a successful, investable, and stable business environment in the near future.

That’s why we’re gathering and calling on all political parties of the UK to:

1. Rapidly scale up investment and incentives in renewables, clear the connectivity backlog and drive forward energy efficiency. Create a stable rollout plan to attract investment, and support essential training for the transition, reducing the cost of living for our communities, and providing certainty for businesses to be able to thrive into the future.
2. Take action to protect and restore nature and halt further decline by 2030. Create a clear National Plan for achieving nature targets and robust regulatory frameworks enabling our rivers, seas, food and farming to thrive. We need a level playing field to allow coordinated business action, a commitment to follow the upcoming TFND guidelines, and fully funded regulatory agencies to enforce the highest environmental standards.
3. End new fossil fuel developments in the UK including new licensing rounds and approvals for oil and gas exploration, in line with calls from the UN Secretary-General, climate scientists and the IEA.

Prosperity requires stability. The thriving business community in the UK has been shaped by long standing British traditions of wise responses to new information and scientific understanding, combined with a willingness to update our approaches when it is evident it is necessary.

We can see the effects of our delays to confronting this faster in the destabilization caused by widespread wildfires, floods and other natural disasters. The climate and nature crisis has been directly connected to past emissions and operations and causes huge risk for our future operation, and our ability to retain customers.

That is why we, the undersigned businesses and business leaders, call on all political parties to include committed and measurable action as set out above in your manifestos in the coming General Election. By doing this you will shore up not only our ability to thrive as businesses, but the ability of future generations to enjoy the stable environment and accompanying opportunities that we have had access to up until now.

Signed...