In recent weeks,
you may have heard the term green recovery or green economy.
As we begin to imagine live beyond coronavirus,
the government is setting out major plans
to rebuild the country.
And what's decided now will impact us for decades to come.
But the coronavirus pandemic
has shown us what we desperately don't want to go back to.
How unequal our society is,
how vulnerable we are in times of crises,
and how our planet is struggling.
A green economy is a way to rebuild the country
whilst taking all of this into consideration.
A green economy prioritizes the health
of people and the planet,
and sees these things as interconnected.
It means solar and wind power,
not coal, oil or new gas.
Better public transport and electric vehicles,
not petrol and diesel ones.
Energy efficient homes,
not cold and draughty ones,
and protecting nature and having a circular economy,
not a single use throwaway culture.
It would mean massive investment
in renewables, housing and transport
and rolling out training programs
to skill people up for new jobs in all of these areas.
This wouldn't just be good for the planet,
it would be good for the economy too.
A major investment like this
could create hundreds of thousands of jobs.
And with the oil and gas industries
also now in deep trouble
and renewables being the cheapest way
to generate electricity,
switching to solar and wind power
would be a win, win situation
providing both jobs and clean energy.
So, some might say that in order to recover
from the coronavirus crisis,
what the government needs to do
is tighten its belt financially
and introduce cuts to spending.
Well, that simply isn't true.
That's what the government tried to do in 2010
when they introduced austerity policies
and slashed public sector spending.
Now, not only was that a disaster
for our most vulnerable people and our environment
and vital services like the NHS,
it was also a disaster economically.
The best way for the government to rebuild the country
is with a green recovery plan
that creates hundreds of thousands of jobs.
There are major advantages for public health
and wellbeing as well.
Better insulated homes are warmer and cut energy bills
as well as emissions.
Better public transport will mean less commuting time.
Cleaner air will help save lives.
Coronavirus has shown us that to look after ourselves,
we need to start looking after the planet,
because without a major change,
we can fully expect to see many more crises like this one.
And not just pandemics.
The climate emergency is already having
devastating consequences for all life on earth,
in particular for the most vulnerable
and those that have contributed the least to it.
To ignore this would be disastrous and unjust.
We have to act now
to limit catastrophic climate change
and to protect ourselves and the planet we live on.
The government is talking a big talk about a green recovery,
but we have to make sure that these aren't empty words.
The government's really been starting to talk the talk
on the green recovery,
which is great,
but unfortunately they have already started
to bail out billions of pounds of loans to companies
with no strings attached at all,
and that is a huge missed opportunity.
They do have a big chance now
to set us on the right track to a green and fair recovery,
so let's hope they turn their warm words into action.
The government needs to make sure
that they put people and the planet first,
and put us on course for a smart green economy