Losing the battle for Nature?

It’s shocking to me to hear that the UK is the 7th most nature-depleted country in the world, so l was interested to read what our local MP had to say during a debate in the House this week regarding the Nature and Climate Declaration.

Apparently, 2,000 politicians have signed this formal statement so far, calling for biodiversity loss to be both halted and reversed by 2030 to create a legally binding target. 

Speaking in the Westminster Hall debate, Ms Wera Hobhouse gave her full support to its aims.

The changes outlined would require the UK to do its fair share globally to cut its emissions and stay below 1.5 degrees of global warming, and commit the Government to ensure that nature is visibly and measurably recovering by 2030. 

The Liberal Democrats are calling upon the Government to announce an action plan, backed by a £150 billion public investment programme, to fire-up progress to UK Net-Zero, to help British people and businesses to become global leaders in key future technologies. 

The party would also protect the natural environment and reverse biodiversity loss at the same time as combating climate change.

Wera Hobhouse, MP for Bath, commented:

“Following the UK’s presidency of COP26, we must take a leading role in improving biodiversity for people and the planet.

“The Government has to address the critical environmental risks to Britain’s heritage, communities and future prosperity.

“To some, these plans might seem radical. However, radicalism is necessary in the face of the climate emergency. The time for inaction is over. This is one of our last opportunities for a decisive response. If Governments do not step up, we risk losing the battle to preserve nature and the climate. 

“Today’s debate comes during the critical juncture of COP27. We are off track, and there is no time for delay.”

Here’s her full speech.

Wera Hobhouse MP: I thank the Honourable Member for St Ives for securing this crucial debate.  

We are facing an existential emergency. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was right when he warned that we are on a highway to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator. The world is on course to reach 2.8 degrees of heating by the end of the century. Without action now, the 1.5-degree target is unreachable. 

Unfortunately, the UK Government is not acting with urgency. They have proven themselves to be climate delayers. When the new Prime Minister was Chancellor, he cut air passenger duty on domestic flights. He introduced a windfall tax that incentivised firms to invest in fossil fuel extraction, and he pledged during his leadership campaign to make it harder to build onshore wind farms. Our Prime Minister had to be dragged kicking and screaming to COP27. He is not providing the leadership the world needs. 

The climate emergency is not a problem for future generations. It is having a material impact on people now. We have seen extreme weather events cause suffering, conflict, and destruction around the world, from drought in East Africa to bushfires in Australia. If we exceed 1.5 degrees, floods and fires will become more frequent and intense. Crops are more likely to fail, and millions will be driven from their homes. The Government’s net zero strategy recognises the dangers of not meeting the 1.5-degree target. However, their own plans are not even guaranteed to hit this, being devised with just over a 50% chance of success. Our Government is taking a major risk with people’s lives.  The Government know the dangers yet are refusing to act at the necessary pace. 

As nature declines, so does the quality of human life. Halting species abundance decline is not enough when the UK is already the 7th most nature-depleted country in the world. We must act now to not halt, but reverse biodiversity loss.  Protecting ecosystems that regulate the climate or contain critical carbon stores such as ice sheets, forests, peatlands, wetlands and the ocean, have to be prioritised alongside cutting emissions.

Once again, the Government are not acting to protect nature as quickly as they need to. The Natural History Museum has named the UK as one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, and current Government policy will do nothing to improve our standing. The Government has tried to deregulate environmental protections at every opportunity and have failed to make halting and reversing biodiversity decline by 2030 a legally binding target. At this rate, the Government will miss its commitment to leave the environment in a better state than they found it. Once again, they are not matching words with actions. 

I fully support Zero Hour’s Nature and Climate Declaration. However, this declaration must be matched with more substantive action. The Government must consider supporting the Climate and Ecology Bill to address the full extent of the climate and nature crisis in line with the most up-to-date science. The Climate and Ecology Bill sets out a whole-of-government emergency plan to rapidly transition away from fossil fuels and reverse the destruction of nature. It would require the UK to do its fair share globally to cut its emissions and stay below 1.5 degrees of global warming. The Bill would also require the UK to reverse the destruction of the natural world by committing the Government to restore and expand ecosystems and ensure that nature is visibly and measurably recovering by 2030. 

To some, these plans might seem radical. However, radicalism is necessary in the face of the climate emergency. The time for inaction is over. This is one of our last opportunities for a decisive response. If Governments do not step up, we risk losing the battle to preserve nature and the climate.