Nature is in crisis. The UK is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world with only half its wildlife left and another 10,000 plants, animals and birds threatened with extinction.
Yet the Government is way off track meeting its own nature targets and as another UN biodiversity summit gets underway, hasn’t even published a strategy to restore nature, something it promised at the last nature summit two years ago.
We can get biodiversity thriving again. Our four Green MPs will push Labour to act now to protect and restore our precious environment, boost nature friendly farming and keep fossil fuels in the ground.
But they need your help to send a clear message: Nature Action Now.
Donate now to support our campaign
A Message from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Nature is in crisis. That’s one of the main reasons I joined the Green Party and campaigned so hard with them in the run up to the election. I was absolutely delighted that we managed to send four excellent Green Party MPs to Westminster. It gives me hope that we really can turn the nature crisis around, both here in the UK, and internationally too. But now the hard work begins.
A UN biodiversity summit, Cop16, is taking place in Columbia to discuss the nature crisis. It’s not as high profile as the annual climate summit which gets more media attention, but its task is just as critical. Because we can’t tackle the climate emergency without tackling the nature crisis. The two crises are deeply connected. That’s why I am proud to back the Green Party’s Nature Action Now campaign.
Nature is essential for our survival – and fundamental to our well-being. But it is in freefall. Biodiversity is declining at unprecedented rates with over 10,000 mammals, plants, birds and insects in the UK threatened with extinction. The country is way off track meeting its own nature targets too. In fact, the Government hasn’t even published a new nature strategy, something it promised to do by now at the last global nature summit two years ago.
But we can get biodiversity thriving again with the political will. And our four Green MPs are critical to getting nature prioritised in parliament. They will push Labour to act to protect and restore nature, boost nature friendly farming and keep fossil fuels in the ground. Bold action that will benefit our quality of life, our mental health, and our optimism about the future beyond measure. But it won’t be easy.
That’s why I didn’t hesitate to sign up to the Green Party’s timely Nature Action Now campaign. The odds were against getting four Green MPs elected but we did it by working together to make real change happen. Now we need to do it again to push this faltering Government to do better, much better, to turn around nature’s decline and restore our precious planet.
I would urge you to donate to support this crucial work.
Nature Action Event: How Do We Clean Up Our Rivers?
Our rivers are contaminated by a filthy cocktail of sewage, agricultural runoff and road pollution. How do we clean them up?
Join this timely Nature Action Now event on 7 November at 6pm to hear Ellie Chowns MP, peer Jenny Jones, James Wallace, River Action UK CEO and Lewes town councillor Matthew Bird discuss how to fix the mess.
The panel discussion will be followed by a Q+A with the audience.
Adrian Ramsay: Living In a Rural Constituency Makes Me Very Aware of Nature’s Alarming Decline
I made history in July when I was elected MP for the new constituency of Waveney Valley. The constituency spanning the Norfolk/Suffolk border is rural, combining wonderful market towns with beautiful villages and countryside, and my constituents are hugely proud of the wonderful landscape. Living in a rural area makes you very aware of the alarming scale of nature’s decline, and the need to protect and restore nature was a big issue in the election campaign.
The environment is deeply important to the British people, yet the UK is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world. We have signed up to legally binding targets to protect 30 per cent of land and sea by 2030, but at the current rate of progress, we will not reach that target until the next century. That’s why along with the other Green MPs, I am determined to prioritise nature action in this parliament.
So what is our plan? The Green Party wants to see much greater protection of nature in law. We would set up an Independent Commission for Nature that sets targets for nature protection and restoration, enforced through the courts. This will be a game changer, allowing for the first time for individuals and conservation groups to take legal action on behalf of nature and make polluters pay.
We would also double the budget for nature friendly farming. Seventy per cent of our land is agricultural so it is clear we cannot restore nature without working with people who rely on the land. People and nature most thrive together. Farmers need easier access to nature-friendly farming funding, and we will work with environmental NGOs to press the Government for more support.
Another must – keep fossil fuels in the ground. The climate crisis is accelerating the nature crisis. But Labour has just stumped up £22 billion investment for unproven carbon capture and storage technology, essentially an excuse for more oil and gas. Nature is one of the best forms of carbon capture. Imagine if we were to invest this in restoring our peatlands, wetlands and woodlands. The Government must be pushed to listen to the science and invest in the right place.
Nature action is a must, not a nice to have. With more leadership and ambition from the Government, we can turn the tide on nature decline. Along with Carla, Ellie and Sian, I will work tirelessly to make this happen. But we need your help. Unlike other parties, the Green Party doesn’t accept donations from lobbyists or organisations engaged in polluting activity which harms the planet. We are reliant on committed supporters like you.
Please donate to support this crucial work.