LETTER: Let's make a green recovery

We stand at a turning point in the life of this country and the world. Coronavirus has turned our world upside down and the government is looking for a way forward.

There is talk of central banks tearing up the work of almost three decades to scrap their inflation targets and instead to target nominal GDP (Gross Domestic Product) instead: the cash value of the economy’s entire output. A ‘growth at all costs’ approach.

Yet our obsession with economic growth has brought us to where we are today – facing the climate crisis that has not gone away. And economic growth is such a blunt measure of any change in our quality of life.

The Prime Minister and his cabinet face a critical decision of choosing a ‘growth at all costs’ approach or instead to ensure economic policy shifts the UK to a low-carbon future, as has been called for by many, including the World Economic Forum, major businesses, the government’s advisory Committee on Climate Change, green campaign groups and even Prince Charles. He recently said:

“As we move from rescue to recovery [from the pandemic], we have a unique but rapidly shrinking window of opportunity to learn lessons and reset ourselves on a more sustainable path. It is an opportunity we have never had before and may never have again. We must use all the levers we have at our disposal, knowing that each and every one of us has a vital role to play.”

There are many businesses across Shropshire and the country that want to play their part in a ‘green recovery’, bringing employment, skills training and a better quality of life, whilst reducing significantly our carbon emissions.

Boris Johnson has a choice to make: between a ‘green recovery’ producing higher returns on public spending, creating more jobs in both the short term and the long term, or the alternative of pouring cash into the fossil fuel economy.

His decision will reveal him to be the leader he wishes to be or the man who failed himself and his country.

Robert Saunders, Apley