The need to protect our environment for future generations was one of the reasons Mel got into politics in the first place. Before he was elected to Parliament in 2010 he spent two years going into local schools with his 'One Tonne Green Challenge' - an initiative he founded to engage and educate our young people on the need to recycle and reduce our carbon footprint.
From 2010 onwards he took this mission to Westminster and helped to steer a major energy bill through the House of Commons in 2013 which introduced strict carbon emissions targets. He supported the UK becoming the first major economy to legislate for net zero emissions by 2050.
Mel has been involved with Climate Assembly UK throughout 2020 - the assembly was set up by six House of Commons Committees, including the Treasury Select Committee (which he chairs), and comprises of over 100 members of the public, selected as representative of our population. After six weekends hearing evidence from leading scientists about how climate change is affecting us, the assembly produced an important report, providing a better understanding of the measures that the public are likely to support in order to reach net zero. The full text (which makes more than 50 recommendations) is available at www.climateassembly.uk/report. Earlier this year Mel addressed the assembly.
Mel is proud to represent much of Dartmoor, including its largest towns, and has worked with local communities and DNPA on the need to improve Dartmoor's infrastructure (e.g. broadband speeds and mobile phone coverage) while also preserving its environment.
For more than a decade Mel has campaigned for a regular rail service between Okehampton and Exeter via Crediton which will take cars off the road and reduce air pollution along the A30.
