Yesterday the Deputy Prime Minister gave a speech on the environment and the climate. We’re yet to hear a speech from David Cameron on these issues, but it was good to hear the leader of the junior coalition partner recognise that Government silence is neither acceptable nor desirable.

He had many things to say, some of them good, others not so good. Here they are, in no particular order.

1. Mr. Clegg recognised that Government has perhaps been too quiet, in particular on the natural environment. This is great to hear.

2. He recognised concerns from NGOs about the forthcoming lobbying bill. But will amendments and the five week consultation be enough to address concerns that it could end up impoverishing the ability of NGOs to campaign, when the bill should supposedly target dangerous political (corporate) lobbying? See more here from the RSPB.

3. He cited a forthcoming Pollinator strategy and progress on the Marine and Coastal Protection Act as examples of the success of this Government. There seemed to be little sense of urgency about the decline of our wildlife – has he read the recent State of Nature report? These were also puzzling examples to pick: the UK was one of the worst nations for trying to block European progress on neonicotinoid chemicals that affect bees, and the implementation of Marine Conservation Zones to protect areas of our sea is terrible compared to what Government promised.

4. For Mr Clegg, the energy mix still needs gas and shale. In reality the maths teaches us that we need to start leaving fossil fuels in the ground. If we want to build a future without climate change then we need to build it without fossil fuels.

5. Renewables still clearly includes biomass which in many cases can be bad for both the environment and the climate – see here. While he praised increasing Government support for renewables, he seemed to forget the reduction in subsidies for solar power.

6. Mr Clegg was strong on the need to do better at decarbonising, and to keep the ambition in the fourth carbon budget the same. He also recognised that it was a shame not to get a decarbonisation target in the Energy Bill. Government openness to investing in electric vehicle technology is exciting.

6. Mr Clegg invoked the values of intergenerational justice and British passion for the natural landscape. He spoke about his personal connection to nature. This was encouraging and made a nice change from the thrust of the speech, which focussed on the neoliberal triangle of (small) Government-business-consumer (where is the citizen?).

7. …However, he didn’t name a single species (a trip to a nature reserve needed?), there was no mention of farming’s huge impact on our natural landscape, or a forthcoming Government decision on how to spend £2 billion of farming subsidies, or of badger culling, or new evidence of the rapid decline in our wildlife (see State of Nature report above).

8. He did little to redress the imbalance of a focus on energy and climate. A small part of the speech was given over to future action on the natural environment in comparison to that on action on climate and energy.

9. Commitments for future action were vague and few on the natural environment. The only real one was exciting but uncertain: the idea of an independent statutory body to advise on the natural environment, in the same way that the Committee on Climate Change does. This would be an exciting possibility, but will it ever come to fruition, given that he sees it as one for the next parliament? Mooting something for after a general election is close to hollow.

This summarises some of the key points of the speech. If you read the full text, what do you make of it?