The Climate and Nature Bill, a Private Members' Bill, is currently before Parliament and is due to have its second reading on 24 January.

In the words of the Bill itself, its purpose is 'to require the United Kingdom to achieve climate and nature targets; to give the Secretary of State a duty to implement a strategy to achieve those targets; to establish a Climate and Nature Assembly to advise the Secretary of State in creating that strategy; to give duties to the Committee on Climate Change and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee regarding the strategy and targets; and for connected purposes.'

The depletion of nature is evident all around us and the climate crisis gathers pace. We cannot continue like this and expect to have a world which is fit for us to pass on to our children and grandchildren. Accordingly, Sustainable Crediton has written to our MP, Mel Stride, as below (with thanks to Caroline Romijn for drafting this)

We ask that you take a few minutes of your own time to email in an individual capacity Mel Stride, asking him to support the Bill. You are welcome to use our letter as a template, but please adapt it to make it your own.

Thank you.

Core Group and Trustees

Our letter:

'Dear Mel Stride

I am writing to you again on behalf of Sustainable Crediton, this time about the Second Reading of the Climate and Nature Bill, which I understand is scheduled for January 24th. We urgently hope that you will help to get this science-led Bill through successfully to its next stage. 

You will not be surprised to know that, as an organisation, we strongly support the Bill. We see it as providing a desperately needed route towards a viable, sustainable climate for future generations.  Critically, the CAN Bill tackles the climate and nature crises together: the science makes it  clear that we have no chance of limiting global heating to survivable levels unless we protect and actively restore nature (particularly the eco-systems that support life and store huge amounts of carbon, such as peatlands, woodlands, seas and wetlands) at the same time as giving up fossil fuels and limiting our carbon emissions.

With your experience on climate committees, you will of course be aware that UK led  the world with the Climate Change Act of 2008, and again showed leadership with our commitment to Net Zero in 2050, inspiring other countries to move in the same direction. Unfortunately we have not implemented all the measures needed; the  latest climate science indicates that we need to take strong action now if we are to maintain a liveable planet. In our view this Bill would give the UK a chance to take a fair, progressive, leadership role again.

I have formally copied in  both our Convenor, Terry Hadley, and our Chair of Trustees John Craythorne.  In addition we will share the letter with our supporters (who at the latest count number 971 local people, the majority of whom will also be your constituents).

Please will you let us know whether we can count on you to support the Bill?

Thank you and kind regards,

Caroline Romijn
Secretary
Sustainable Crediton

(Charitable Incorporated Organisation, Charity number1209069)'