The European climate agency, Copernicus announced that the last seven years were the world’s hottest on record. Temperatures were 1.2C above pre-industrial levels and carbon dioxide and methane gas levels reached record highs.

I continue to believe that climate change and environmental pollution are the post pressing issues we face. Rising fuel costs leads me to conclude that we need to accelerate our transition from relying on polluting fossil fuels to sustainable energy sources. The Labour Party continues to urge the Government to support the development of local and community owned renewable energy generation and supply.