If you don’t realise the climate emergency is bearing down on us like a juggernaut, you haven’t been paying attention. I declared a climate emergency on my first day in office. Click on the bullet points above for more.
But if you don’t know how you’re going to feed your children, the climate emergency is not going to be top of your priorities. We must have a Just Transition that brings a fairer economy as well as a greener one.
In the past four years I’ve established a Green New Deal fund, installing renewables and reducing emissions. Challenge North Tyne supports local firms to develop climate friendly innovations. HITS (Hospitality Industry Tourism Supply chain) promotes local tourism and helps local suppliers succeed against multi-nationals. TIGGOR (great name – Technology, Innovation and Green Growth for Offshore Renewables) is creating world-leading industries here. Advanced Circular Economy (ACE) creates high-tech research into low-carbon cleaning and domestic products. Together these are already creating thousands of green jobs. I’ll scale them up – they work!
Our Brownfield housing fund has built affordable homes to high eco-standards. And I’ve refused developments that did not include affordable homes – like the Strawberry Place development next to St James Park.
A Green New Deal means a Just Transition to a more egalitarian world. It means better social and cultural life, and stronger community voices in decision making. Putting wellbeing first will make the North East wealthier, more sustainable, and a more attractive place to live.
