Doncaster MP Ed Miliband recognised in awards for his call for urgent action on climate change

Ed Miliband, Member for Doncaster North, will head to the Palace of Westminster for The Climate Coalition’s Green Heart Hero Awards on March 11.

The MP for Doncaster North has been shortlisted in the Longstanding Commitment to the Environment category in recognition of his tireless work to establish cross-party consensus over the urgency of action on climate change.

He was Secretary of State for Climate Change when the Labour Government announced they would be introducing The Climate Change Act, and is still campaigning ten years on, working to ensure a cross-party call for a net-zero emissions target before 2050.

Ed truly reflects a longstanding commitment to tackling climate change throughout his parliamentary career, and has dedicated several episodes of his successful podcast ‘Reasons To Be Cheerful’ to the need for immediate and far-reaching policy change.

The awards - which range from accolades for green schools, businesses and MPs to recognition of sustainable sports projects and overseas schemes - will be hosted by television and radio presenter Clive Anderson and will feature Sky News journalist Kay Burley, alongside a number of other presenters.

“I am grateful to be nominated for this award. My overwhelming feeling is that politics is not doing enough to respond to the urgency of the climate change challenge.

“We can and must act in a way that advances economic, social and environmental justice. If we do not there will be disastrous effects for people and planet and we will rightly be judged harshly by future generations. I am determined to play my part.”

The Green Heart Hero Awards are coordinated by The Climate Coalition, a group of more than 130 organisations - including the Women’s Institute, CAFOD, National Trust, WWF and the RSPB -  who together represent over 15 million people nationwide.

The awards ceremony follows on from the fifth year of the hugely successful Show The Love campaign and is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the diversity, passion and innovation of individuals, businesses and organisations taking action on climate change.   

Clara Goldsmith from The Climate Coalition said: “It’s fantastic to see the work that politicians such as Ed Miliband are doing to protect the things we love from climate change.

“The people who have been nominated are just normal people who decided that they wanted to make a difference and help build a cleaner, greener future – and they have achieved extraordinary things.

“We are really glad to have the chance to celebrate in Parliament the great work from people right across the country.”

The Climate Coalition is holding events throughout the year for people to get involved with, including a climate and environment mass lobby of parliament on the 26 June. Find out more at: theclimatecoalition.org