Environment is top priority for young

ALMOST nine out of 10 young people think it is important for politicians to take care of wildlife and the environment, polling shows.

And two-thirds of 16 to 34-year-olds agree the environment is a top voting priority for them, the survey of 1,000 people of all ages by Census Wide revealed.

The findings come as a report written by young environmental campaigners calls on the government to take a series of steps to ensure nature is flourishing by 2050 and beyond.

The report, written by the group A Focus on Nature, based on contributions from hundreds of youngsters around the UK, urges ministers to bring out a long-term plan for nature to maintain the natural world for generations.

It also calls for “rewilding” and the reintroduction of extinct native species such as beavers and lynxes at suitable locations in the UK.

All tax breaks and subsidies for fossil fuels in the UK should be redirected to renewables, all agricultural subsidies should incentivise wildlife-friendly farming and a quarter of the country’s land and seas should be managed for nature.

The campaigners also want to see 20% of primary school lesson time spent out doors in quality green space, and half that time spent learning about nature.

The report has been backed by Sir David Attenborough, who said: “None of us own the natural world. We only hold it in trust for the next generation. It is cause for hope that, as this report shows, so many of those who inherit it feel the same.”

Almost nine out of 10 of the 643 people aged between 16 and 34 thought it was important for politicians, businesses and individuals to take care of wildlife and the environment.

Almost two-thirds of those surveyed (65%) said environmental policies were more important than policies on transport and half (51%) said they were more important than immigration policies.