Hello conference! I would like to discuss the issue of the climate crisis. It is the most pressing issue facing humanity. Scientists have been clear that the consequences of failing to stop climate change will be severe: some animal and plant species will lose their habitats due to Earth’s temperature increasing and many will not be able to adapt to the changes in their environment induced by climate change, which is exactly why scientists have warned that a human-caused mass extinction is already underway, with scientists from the University of Arizona warning that a third of all animal and plant species could go extinct by 2070. The effects will be felt most acutely by those living near the coast - for example, rising sea levels due to global heating means that the island of Kiribati is at risk of sinking into the sea even though in 2014 their greenhouse gas emissions made up only 0.0002% of global greenhouse gas emissions, which illustrates very well that the climate crisis is a crisis caused by the wealthy, such as wealthy oil companies, but is a crisis that the poor will feel the consequences of the most.

It doesn’t have to be that way. We can still save our planet, but only if the UK and other major greenhouse gas contributors agree to take the ambitious action needed to cut their greenhouse gas emissions. This is why last election we campaigned for tough action against climate change.

We need to fully decarbonise our energy grid and move away from dirty gas and oil to clean renewable sources of power, such as solar power, wind power, hydroelectric power, and nuclear power. In fact, according to the International Energy Agency, offshore wind power could provide us with enough green power to power 18 Earths and we should definitely be harnessing this increasingly cheap renewable power source. If we succeed in developing nuclear fusion power generation, it also has the potential to power us as it uses a very abundant resource - hydrogen - and turns it into power, producing only helium. It is also much safer and more efficient than nuclear fission.

Another large emitter is transportation. It is imperative that we move away from polluting, fossil-fuel powered vehicles and towards clean planes, road vehicles and ships. This means investing in public transport infrastructure, especially in areas of the North and Midlands which have historically been neglected by the Department for Transport. It means investing in electric vehicle charging infrastructure, in the development of renewable fuels, and in our cycling and walking infrastructure.

It is also important that we act to protect and restore the UK’s natural habitats to ensure that biodiversity is high and to ensure that the plants and animals humanity relies on still have a home. Along with planting lots of trees, it will also take greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere and fight climate change.

Not only will these actions tackle climate change; they will also boost economic growth and productivity, create lots of green jobs and would revitalise communities left-behind by neoliberal economics.