Taking action on the nature emergency
Access to nature should not be the preserve of those with a private garden or key to a gated green space
Spring is finally here and this year we should see more flowers blooming, bees buzzing and butterflies flitting around the city.
That’s because Greens have been working hard to secure record investment in nature locally.
Last year we convinced the council to declare a nature emergency and at budget time we secured funding for a whole nature emergency team. These efforts mean that positive changes for nature are springing up right across the city.
Over summer the council will be trialling letting our grass and wildflowers grow longer to attract pollinators, including leaving some areas to grow completely “wild”. We’re phasing out damaging petrol-powered equipment in our parks and replacing them with electric alternatives, and finally seeing an end to the use of harmful pesticides.
We’re also making changes to our school estates, supporting outdoor learning and have a dedicated officer secured for the Pentland Hills, protecting and enhancing this wonderful asset.
Action for nature is sometimes seen as a luxury or middle-class concern – what good is saving the bees when people are living paycheque to paycheque?
But the benefits of nature on people’s health and wellbeing are well-proven, so Greens are prioritising bringing biodiversity to all parts of the city, especially in previously forgotten areas like our housing estates – a change of approach from previous initiatives focused on the city’s “premium” parks.
Access to nature should not be the preserve of those with a private garden, a key to a gated green space or the time and money to get out of the city at the weekend.
At a time when poorer children are suffering asthma at far higher rates than those in affluent areas, protecting nature means cleaner air.
In a mental health crisis, it means access to trees which benefit everyone. And, at a time when the cost-of-living pushes people into poverty, it means better and more resilient food systems, including more community growing.
So, as you get out in the sunshine in the coming months, you should feel the benefits of nature all around you – wherever you are in the city.
Ben Parker, Cllr for Morningside