British MPs make bold climate declaration

Lawmakers in the United Kingdom have declared "an environment and climate emergency", a move the opposition Labour Party is heralding as globally unprecedented.

The motion, which is not legally binding but which will put pressure on the government, was championed by Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition Labour Party. It urges the UK to be emissions-neutral by 2050, to kick off a green industrial revolution, and to make changes to transportation, agriculture, and other areas.

After members of Parliament backed the motion, the Labour Party tweeted: "Now it's time for real action to tackle climate change."

The move followed 16-year-old Swedish student Greta Thunberg urging MPs to take action to address global warming. Thunberg was a high-profile participant in recent large-scale protests in the UK by the climate action group Extinction Rebellion that saw roads, bridges, and landmarks blocked and scores of arrests.

CNN said Thunberg welcomed Parliament's declaration by saying: "It is a great first step because it sends a clear signal that we are in a crisis and that the ongoing climate and ecological crises must be our first priority. We cannot solve an emergency without treating it like an emergency."

She called on other nations to follow suit.

Extinction Rebellion said: "This is the first step in the government telling the truth about the climate and ecological emergency. Pressure on politicians will now increase as nothing but decisive action will suffice."

The Welsh and Scottish governments have also declared a climate emergency, as have several cities, including London, Manchester, and Bristol.

The Guardian newspaper said Corbyn viewed the motion as a necessary response to not only the Extinction Rebellion protests but to grassroots strikes by UK schoolchildren.

He predicted the declaration will "set off a wave of action from parliaments and governments around the globe" and said he wants to work with other countries and "make clear to Donald Trump that he cannot ignore international agreements and action on the climate crisis".

During the debate, Michael Gove, the UK's environment secretary, said "the situation we face is an emergency" and that consensual, cross-party efforts were needed.

"It is a crisis, it is a threat, that all of us have to unite to meet," he said.

Meanwhile, the Committee on Climate Change,which provides independent advice to the UK government, issued its latest report on Thursday. It says the UK should lead the global fight against climate change by cutting greenhouse gases to nearly zero by 2050.

If other countries follow the UK's lead, the report says, there would be a 50-50 chance that a global temperature rise of less than 1.5C by the year 2100 could be achieved. Any larger temperature rise would likely trigger dangerous climate change.