Thread by @CarolineLucas

Here's one piece of legislation you won't have heard of - but could set the future direction of finance in this country for a generation

Ahead of tonight's #MansionHouse speech & launch of Financial Services Bill, will @nadhimzahawi wake up to the #climateemergency?

🧵

1/7

As it stands, the Financial Services Bill will make "competitiveness & growth" a strategic objective, i.e forcing the Govt to take steps to 'act' on something

Meanwhile, climate & net zero is a "regulatory principle", i.e the Govt merely has to 'think' about it

2/7

This epitomises the problem with the Govt's attitude to the #ClimateEmergency

That it's something to think about at some point in the future, a tick box exercise, while we prioritise endless growth above all else

This mentality has to change

3/7

The climate is changing: fact

An economic transformation is unavoidable

So let’s choose the future now and make a virtue out of necessity

Not leave it until the last minute, when the choices will be so much harder, so much more costly

4/7

You can't be "competitive" if your financial system fails to address climate

You can't create "growth" on a dead planet

We need more growth of the right things – thriving communities – and less growth of the wrong things – climate-wrecking fossil fuels

5/7

So will the Govt put a liveable planet above competitiveness and growth?

Will they acknowledge that the fastest growing finance sector right now is green finance?

Will they demonstrate @COP26 commitment to make the UK a net zero-aligned financial centre?

6/7

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make the UK financial system work for the good of climate and nature - for our people and for our planet

@wwf_uk @ShareAction @TheFinanceLab

7/7