For so many reasons we need a General Election. Not least, we need a Government that takes the climate emergency and biodiversity crisis seriously.
When Sunak finally has the courage to ask the UK public for its verdict on 13 year years of incompetent and corrupt government, we need to ask all political leaders to make 5 pledges to save nature.
Politicians in the UK have made many big promises for nature and the environment but the Government's own advisors agree: they are not doing enough to protect, conserve and improve the natural world.
That is why, ahead of the next General Election, over 70 environmental charities in the Wildlife and Countryside Link coalition have joined forces to create a 5-point plan.
This 5-point plan needs to be reflected in the manifestos of all political parties to reverse the UK's appalling record as one of the most nature depleted countries on the planet with over 1 in 7 native species facing extinction and more than 40% of species having declined over the last 50 years.
The importance of nature continues to be overlooked by the Government with the UK meeting only 3 out of 10 global targets for nature set in 2020.
2030 is an incredibly important date for the natural world. In 2020, the UK committed to a global agreement to restore 30% of land and seas and halt the loss of nature by 2030.
In England, the Government backed up that promise by creating a legal duty to stop the decline of species by the end of the next Parliament.
Time is running out. There is a real risk those targets will be missed. Only 3.2% of England’s land and 8% of England’s seas are protected and managed for nature so far.
No political party has yet set out the ambitious action needed to set the UK’s nature on the path to recovery, despite the environment being a key issues for many voters.
As the impacts of the biodiversity crisis and climate emergency worsen, it is clear that any incoming Government will be increasingly judged on their environmental record and the expectations from voters remain high.
The 5-point plan published by the Wildlife and Countryside Link in the Nature 2030 Report includes these specific actions ....
A pay rise for nature and farmers: Doubling the nature-friendly farming budget to £6bn pay for ambitious farm improvements and large-scale nature restoration
Making polluters pay: Putting a nature recovery obligation in to law, requiring polluting big businesses to deliver environmental improvement plans and funding to counter the damage they cause to nature
More space for nature by 2030: A 30 x 30 rapid delivery programme restoring protected sites and landscapes and creating a Public Nature Estate to fulfil the promise to protect 30% of the land and sea for nature, and deliver more nature in all communities.
Delivering the green jobs we need: A National Nature Service delivering wide scale habitat restoration and creating thousands of green jobs
A right to a healthy environment: Establishing a human right to clean air and water and access to nature, building nature into decision making, enabling people to hold decision makers to account and driving changes that will recover nature and improve public health
Support the campaign .... Nature 2030: Support our plan to restore nature. (wildlifetrusts.org)
#DefendNature .... Please help save and enhance our laws that protect our environment and wildlife
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