A coalition of the UK’s leading environmental groups has called for the creation of an Office for Resource Risk as part of a series of environmental recommendations.
Organisations including the National Trust, WWF, RSPB, Greenpeace, The Wildlife Trusts, Friends of the Earth and Green Alliance have published ideas in Greener Britain that it hopes all political parties will commit to.
If implemented, these ideas would lead to a greener Britain by 2020 according to the report.
The report calls for the Office for Resource Risk because it says the Government needs better data to assess and manage resource risks to the economy. The Office for Resource Risk would provide independent assessments to Government and business on how to respond to risks in specific market resource markets and to outline the market risks of climate change. These assessments should be synchronised with the recommendations of the Committee on Climate Change, it says.
It also calls for a clear plan with targets to reduce the country’s consumption of finite natural resources and increase resource efficiency. The report gives examples of what these targets could include, such as requiring online retailers to take back WEEE when delivering new products, setting up a local authority challenge fund to develop new infrastructure for recovering resources from the waste stream and enforcing a landfill ban on food waste.
Friends of the Earth executive director Andy Atkins said: “These proposals should give all major parties pause to think carefully about their environmental agenda ahead of the next general election – they must respond both to the major challenges we face and the corresponding public call for stronger action.
“The Greener Britain priorities are a foundation for parties to build a robust response to the serious threat of climate change and the decline of our natural world.”
Greener Britain contains seven goals and proposals including leading on a transition to a low carbon economy, protecting the oceans and accelerating household energy saving.
See the full report at http://www.green-alliance.org.uk/resources/Greener%20Britain.pdf
