Why the CEE Bill Should Matter to You

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The CEE Bill (Climate & Ecological Emergency) has been created by members of the Big Ask campaign. A number of eminent scientists, academics and lawyers contributed and it is being introduced to parliament this month (September 2020).

Extinction Rebellion actions in the UK are calling for people to support the bill any way they can. With the COVID-19 pandemic, public protests are muted in comparison to the impact made in 2019. However, this is actually making it easier for people like us to get involved by taking part in a large-scale ‘Digital Rebellion‘!

What does the CEE Bill call for?

The main demands of the bill are as follows:

Develop a credible plan to address the UK’s contribution to global emissions and help mitigate rises in global temperatures.
Start considering the full carbon footprint of the nation – including overseas emissions caused by our demand for international products and foods.
Launch active conservation and restoration efforts to protect and preserve nature in the UK and beyond.
Reject the implementation of untested technologies to save the day – we need to stop polluting, not look for ways to carry on doing it!
Give ordinary people a real say on the actions to take by forming a Citizens’ Assembly.

You can download a PDF of the bill here if you want to read it in full. There’s lots of legal jargon and it’s not easy to read, but the summary above pretty much covers the main points.

Extinction Rebellion has provided a recorded Webinar to provide further information – you can watch it here. Alternatively, take a look at the following short animation to get a good idea of what it’s all about.

What Exactly Is a Bill?

A bill is a formal proposal for a new law, or a change to an existing law. It is presented to parliament to be debated and voted on. To become law, it must be passed by the House of Commons and the House of Lords. It takes time for a bill to make it through Parliament but, for the CEE Bill to serve its purpose, it needs to be passed as quickly as possible.

It will be presented as a Private Member’s Bill. These are not part of the government’s proposed legislation, introduced instead by MPs who are not part of the Prime Minister’s cabinet. This means it is considerably more difficult to get these bills passed. It will need:

Up to 12 MPs named on the Bill, with further MPs publicly declaring their support if possible.
A simple majority of MPs to vote in favour of the Bill to get it passed.

As such, the most important thing to do right now is get as many MPs as possible to back the CEE Bill. The more backing it gets, the greater the pressure on the Government to give it time in parliament. In turn, this increases the chances of it progressing and becoming law.

Extinction Rebellion Protestors for CEE Bill with banner reading 'Government Inaction Will Cost Countless Lives'

How Can We Help?

As you can probably tell, we care about the environment – that’s why we started our eco journey. We are admirers of Extinction Rebellion and their current actions are the most powerful way to bolster support for the CEE Bill. We have joined the campaign from the Bill’s Alliance and we urge you to do the same. It only takes a minute and you will receive updates on the Bill’s progress and advice and resources to help you be a part of the campaign.

The ‘digital protests‘ are focused on lobbying MPs to support the CEE Bill, boosting the profile of posts across social media platforms and generally bombarding Westminster with digital content to ensure they can’t ignore the action! Join the Digital Rebellion here if you want to get involved. There are lots of great tools and resources to help us all work together to achieve the desired effect.

Join us and mobilise across Twitter – follow us and we’ll follow back:

The CEE Bill could be our last chance to take the necessary steps to avert the looming climate disaster and save our environment. If you care about your children’s futures and the survival of the world as we know it, please ACT NOW!

If you have any questions about the Digital Rebellion or anything else to do with the CEE Bill, please contact us and we’ll chat. We invite you to follow us on social media and engage – we’d love to see your posts and connect with like-minded people!