Don't rinse plates before putting them in the dishwasher, says climate change spokeswoman
's spokeswoman says people should freeze leftover bread, order shampoo in cardboard packaging and not rinse plates before putting them in the dishwasher. says many British households are already taking the 'micro-steps' in order to be environmentally friendly. She admits that the government is not pretending that the steps taken on their own will 'stop climate change', but says the suggestions are intended could still have a positive impact. Writing in , Ms Stratton says: 'Did you know, according to COP26 principal partner Reckitt, who make Finish, you don't really need to rinse your dishes before they go into the dishwasher? 'Does your brand of plastic bottle shower gel come as a bar in cardboard packaging? I bet it does. It might be freezing half a loaf of bread when you get it home, to get out later in the week, rather than throwing half of it away when it goes mouldy. 'It could be walking to the shops, not driving. Micro-steps maybe, but all the more achievable because of it.' Her remarks come amid the government's 'One Step Greener' campaign, intended to improve awareness of tackling climate change across Britain. She also spoke ahead of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), set to take place in Glasgow in November. The UK is pushing for an agreement at the Glasgow climate conference to limit global warming to 1.5C. But Alok Sharma - appointed by the Prime Minister to lead the negotiations - said the target would be 'extremely difficult' to achieve without all the countries in the G20 signing up to a pledge to phase out coal. Addressing reporters yesterday, the former business secretary said rain and flooding 'sweeping London' while ministers were engaged in talks had sharpened their focus. He added: 'I think it is a sober reminder on our own doorstep of the urgency of our task.' The UK was battered with almost a month's worth of rain in a day on Sunday, with homes, roads and Tube stations flooded in the south of England, while a flooded hospital had to cancel all surgery and outpatient appointments on Monday due to water getting into its basement and affecting its power supply. Mr Sharma used the unseasonal weather to push home the message for countries to switch their domestic power-producing methods. He said there remained 'significant differences' on some issues and it was 'very disappointing' not to come to an agreement on coal. 'We weren't able to get every country in the G20 to agree to language on unabated coal phase-out,' said Mr Sharma. 'For me, it is very disappointing and it was very disappointing for those countries who are supportive of this policy.' The conference president said he 'completely accepted' that 'different countries start from different positions in terms of their energy mix' but pointed to the UK's own shift towards renewable energy. 'In the UK, 40% of our electricity was coming from coal power back in 2012 - we are now at less than 2%; it is going to be phased out completely by 2024. 'We've managed to grow the biggest offshore wind sector in the world and that's because we have put in place the right market mechanisms to allow the private sector to invest as well. 'It is certainly the case that unless we are going to get all countries signed up to unabated coal phase-out, then keeping 1.5C within reach will be extremely difficult.' With the Covid-delayed Glasgow gathering less than 100 days away, Mr Sharma stressed that 'every day counts' and argued it was 'incumbent on every country to give their all to this process'. 'Ultimately, there is not going to be anywhere to hide at Cop26, each of us will be in the spotlight and we will only deliver this by working together,' he said. Officials said yesterday that the first face-to-face climate talks among governments in over 18 months showed real engagement and possible areas of compromise ahead of the pivotal November summit. But the two-day ministerial meeting in London also laid bare differences, especially over the future of coal, that must be bridged before the COP26 summit in Glasgow, they added. The London talks came as nearly 200 nations started online negotiations yesterday to validate a UN science report that will anchor further meetings charged with preventing climate catastrophe ahead of Glasgow. The UN's climate chief, Patricia Espinosa. hailed the 'extremely positive' discussions in London and the 'extraordinary' turnout from more than 50 governments including key players China, India and the United States. 'The dialogue has started, (but) there is a lot of homework to be done in the next 90-something days,' she said, arguing that 'landing zones' for compromise are becoming clearer in the runup to Glasgow. Mr Sharma stressed it was 'very disappointing' that G20 countries last week had failed to agree to phase out coal. And more work is needed to meet a target of raising $100billion a year to help poorer countries combat climate change, he said, announcing that Canada and Germany would steer a new dialogue to that end. Singapore and Norway will push further discussions on establishing carbon markets, Mr Sharma said, while Rwanda and Switzerland will oversee talks on common timeframes for nations' 'nationally determined contributions' to curb emissions.