It’s time to strike a deal to save nature
Chris Packham message to Sunak...
Conservation charities are urging Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to lead an Urgent Conversation at COP15 next month and push for a global deal to save nature. Autumnwatch presenter and naturalist Chris Packham explains why it’s so vital...
PThe next decade is critical for the future of life on Earth
CHRIS PACKHAM ON POTENTIAL DISASTER
eople in the UK see ourselves as nature lovers. But decades of poor planning, neglect and lack of investment have left our islands in a sorry state.
The UK is one of the worst places for nature – 228th out of 240 nations and regions rated for biodiversity.
A shocking 20% of species are dwindling here, with many on the brink of extinction and populations shrinking at an ever faster rate.
Sadly, the rest of the world is heading in the same direction.
We are speeding towards a human-inflicted mass extermination event that will take our species down with it. We need to act now.
The next decade is critical for the future of life on Earth.
The United Nations says countries must commit to safeguarding at least 30% of land and sea to ensure environmental recovery by 2030.
In the UK, just 5% of land and very little of our seas are dedicated to the effective protection and management of nature.
Our nation needs £56billion of investment over the next 10 years to reverse our environmental decline.
That’s less than the Government spent on the furlough scheme. The need to shell out for environmental recovery is even more urgent.
After the disastrous mini-Budget, Jeremy Hunt announced increased taxes and cuts in spending, which the Government says are necessary.
But I believe nothing is more important than protecting the natural world that sustains us.
If we lose the plants that nourish us, the butterflies and bees that pollinate our fields, and the animals that form part of our planet’s miraculous complexity, all the savings and “austerity” will be for nothing. We’re talking about saving life on Earth.
After the COP27 climate conference where world leaders failed to commit to temperature targets, world leaders will meet in Canada at the COP15 Convention on Biological Diversity to explore a deal to protect nature. Scientists have warned “there is no pathway to limiting global warming to 1.5C without action on protecting and restoring nature”.
We need commitments to set 2030 goals that will prevent extinctions, recover species populations, and retain and restore habitats.
It’s time for politicians to take on the urgent conversation.
Rishi Sunak must show he takes biodiversity seriously, attend COP15, and strike a deal to save nature.