Selective Deafness on the Environment?

The UK government wll chair the COP26 meeting in Glasgow this year. They also repeatedly talk of their desire to 'build back better' and to 'go greener'. This talk does not appear matched, however, by some of their recent decisions. For example, the Transport Secretary, seems so keen to push through the UK's 'largest ever road building programme' (spending £27bn), he has ignored advice on the legal equirement to assess the environmental impacts of proposed developments (https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/feb/11/27bn-roads-plan-doubt-shapps-overrode-official-advice). Roads add to the release of 'greenhouse gases', health-threating emissions (such as particulates and nitrogen oxides) as well as generating plastic (from tyres and brake linings) and noise (changing animal behaviour in addition to disturbing humans) pollution. It's also likely that trees, other important environmental structures and animal populations (but who cares about newts?) will be impacted by road construction. We have also learned of plans (not only in the UK) to develop 'vaccination passports' to enable the travel industry to get 'up and running' again (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/jan/15/covid-vaccine-passports-what-are-they-and-do-they-pose-a-danger-to-privacy). There might well be privacy issues associated with such a development but I think these are the least of our worries. Air and sea travel are also very major producers of 'greenhouse gases'. If we seriously want to counter climate change, I don't think we can contemplate returning to pre-Covid-19 pandemic levels of travel (no matter how much it appeals to some people's sense of entitlement)?