50 signatures reached
To: Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP
Bring Back Zero Carbon Homes
Bring back the Zero Carbon Homes standard for new housing, which was scrapped in 2015. It would have meant that all new dwellings from 2016 would generate as much power from renewable sources as they consume.
Why is this important?
Over the past couple of years, we've become aware that climate crisis is approaching even faster than we expected. We've seen record-breaking temperatures around the globe, and that's given rise to some apocalyptic scenes. Bats and birds dropping out of the sky during heatwaves in Australia. Wildfires in Greece and whole towns destroyed by wildfire in America. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned us that swift action must be taken in the next eleven years to avoid the worst consequences of climate change.
40% of the UK's emissions come from households. Every year, the average household emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 just from heating. That's more than a person should emit every year from ALL sources - travel, food, shopping - if we're going to avoid climate chaos.
Before the Zero Carbon Homes policy was scrapped in 2015, we were on track to reduce this 2.7 tonnes to zero in new homes. That wouldn't just have helped the planet - it would have helped people to keep their energy bills down, too.
The abolition of the Zero Carbon Homes policy was called "short-sighted, unnecessary, retrograde and damaging." Ed Davey, former secretary of state for energy and climate change suggested the then PM, David Cameron “may as well hug a coal power station”.
But we're in a new era now. Politicians across the political spectrum are being forced to admit just how important it is to cut out the carbon. Bringing back the Zero Carbon Homes standard would be a massive step forward, showing the public and the world that the UK Parliament's declaration of a Climate Emergency isn't just empty words.
40% of the UK's emissions come from households. Every year, the average household emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 just from heating. That's more than a person should emit every year from ALL sources - travel, food, shopping - if we're going to avoid climate chaos.
Before the Zero Carbon Homes policy was scrapped in 2015, we were on track to reduce this 2.7 tonnes to zero in new homes. That wouldn't just have helped the planet - it would have helped people to keep their energy bills down, too.
The abolition of the Zero Carbon Homes policy was called "short-sighted, unnecessary, retrograde and damaging." Ed Davey, former secretary of state for energy and climate change suggested the then PM, David Cameron “may as well hug a coal power station”.
But we're in a new era now. Politicians across the political spectrum are being forced to admit just how important it is to cut out the carbon. Bringing back the Zero Carbon Homes standard would be a massive step forward, showing the public and the world that the UK Parliament's declaration of a Climate Emergency isn't just empty words.
