Cllr Joe Porter, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council's Cabinet Member for Climate Change & Biodiversity, representing the Brown Edge & Endon ward, discusses the need to address the climate crisis...

If there is anything positive to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is that we wake up to the warnings that we have been hearing from scientists about the urgency to act on climate change. Coronavirus has provided a stark reminder of what happens when humanity's relationship with nature breaks down. That's why at Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, addressing our climate and nature crises remains a top priority.

With lockdown measures being gradually eased, we are developing plans to help communities and businesses recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. We want to deliver a Green Recovery. It's clear that the public wants this too. Polling from the Conservative Environment Network shows that 73% of people agree that it would be 'a decision that will harm future generations' if the economic recovery doesn't also tackle pollution and climate change.

Over the last few months, we have seen the positive effect having fewer cars on the roads and planes in the sky has had on air quality and biodiversity. As we move towards restoring 'normal life' and our freedoms are restored, we now have a once in a lifetime opportunity to put green issues at the heart of our recovery plans.

This difficult period has heightened our awareness of how the economy could be changed for the better. The Government needs to work with councils and businesses to boost home insulation, renewable energy, electric vehicle infrastructure, tree planting and the restoration of peatlands, all of which would create new green jobs quickly and reduce the UK's emissions in line with long-term low-carbon goals. CEN's polling also shows that, out of a list of sectors that the government could support to create new jobs as part of the economic recovery, renewable energy (46%), nature conservation (37%) and energy efficiency (35%) rank as the top three priorities for the public.

A recent study by Oxford University has found that focusing on the green economy would produce greater returns for public money, in the short and long term, than pouring cash into a conventional fossil-fuelled recovery. It is therefore important to prioritise growing the green economy as part of the Government's 'levelling up' agenda to increase investment in left behind areas, including North Staffordshire. Fifty percent of people in the West Midlands agree with me that tackling climate change as part of the recovery will create new jobs and boost the economy

A clean, green transport revolution must form a part of delivering the UK's world-leading net zero target and our own local target of becoming carbon neutral by 2030. There are opportunities for bold action to level up connectivity by innovating and investing in low-carbon transport infrastructure such as electric or hydrogen buses, rail electrification and EV charging point infrastructure. In our local area, reopening the rail line from Leek to Stoke would be a great example of green transport in action.

Protecting and enhancing our natural, green spaces is another key element of a Green Recovery. That's why our officer team is working behind the scenes with Staffordshire Wildlife Trust conservation officers on our Green Infrastructure Delivery Plan to improve and expand natural green spaces across the Staffordshire Moorlands. An evidence based assessment of the physical landscape will help us to identify the most appropriate sites for tree planting, peatland restoration, enhancing biodiversity, and green corridors to increase our resilience to the impacts of climate change. As a member of DEFRA's Local Adaptation Advisory Panel, I will be promoting nature-based solutions to climate change to the Government and other councils across the country.

The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) is right that we cannot return to prosperity unless we build a green economy which works for the whole of the nation. To position ourselves as a true leader on environmental policy, the climate and nature crises requires a UK-wide programme of nature recovery, restoration and protection projects on land and at sea to avoid further catastrophic losses of wildlife and biodiversity.

A science-led, clean and resilient recovery will create employment in the industries of the future while ensuring we address the linked challenges of poor public health, climate change, and biodiversity loss.