Labour is forcing a vote in parliament to declare an environmental and climate emergency, following mass protests over political inaction.

It could see the UK could become the first in the world to declare a climate emergency when MPs vote on the issue on Wednesday.

The move was one of the key demands of the Extinction Rebellion (XR) movement, which held demonstrations and paralysed travel routes across London in recent weeks.

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Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn praised "the inspiring climate activism we've seen in recent weeks" and said it was a "massive and necessary wake-up call for rapid and dramatic action".


He also said he hoped other countries would follow suit in declaring an emergency.

The party's shadow business secretary, Rebecca Long-Bailey, told Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday that the move was "the first step in a long list of radical action we want the government to take".

"We want them to take action that's commensurate with this national emergency," she said.

Labour: 'Dramatic' action needed on climate change

"And in doing so, not just provide a better quality of life for people here and across the world, but also unlock the huge economic benefits of backing a green industrial revolution, which is what the Labour Party has been pushing for some time."

She added that this would bring "economic benefits" to "many communities right across the UK through to manufacturing all the way through to energy efficiency measures".

Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg, who has been nominated for a Nobel peace prize for her campaign to tackle climate change, welcomed the move and said she was "hopeful".

She said: "It is a great first step because it sends a clear signal that we are in a crisis and that the ongoing climate and ecological crises must be our first priority.

"We cannot solve an emergency without treating it like an emergency."

Image: Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, 16, praised the move

The 16-year-old had backed the XR protests, which saw key parts of central London occupied by activists and Mr Corbyn's home targeted.

Speaking about the upcoming vote, Mr Corbyn said: "For young people, the climate emergency is the cause of their generation. And we in older generations must face up to this seriously.

"We have to have a much more focused and serious approach towards climate change and the damage we're doing to our planet.

"We want a world for those in countries worst affected by and least to blame for climate change and our young people."

Labour's policy is for the UK to achieve net zero emissions before 2050 - far later than Extinction Rebellion's call for a 2025 deadline.

Image: Jeremy Corbyn says there should be a 'more focused and serious approach' towards climate change

The opposition party said official figures which showed a 2% reduction in emissions last year suggested that net zero emissions could not be achieved until 2100.

It will use a motion to push parliament to urgently act to avoid more than 1.5C (34.7F) of global warming, which would require worldwide emissions to fall by about 45% from 2010 levels by 2030.

Responding to Labour, Conservative deputy chair Helen Whately said: "Under the Conservatives, emissions have fallen by a quarter since 2010, renewable electricity is at a record high and our support has already helped to create almost 400,000 jobs in the low-carbon economy.

"We have asked independent experts to advise on us setting a date to achieve net zero emissions, and will use their advice to make even more progress in this area.

"The Labour Party has no credibility when it comes to energy policy - the UK had the highest dependency on fossil fuels in the G8 when they were last in government, and independent experts say their renationalisation plans would disrupt our efforts to tackle climate change."