Tag Archives: State of Nature

Could the new planning proposals be an accidental recipe for accelerating nature’s decline?

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intext-crest-blogThis post is by Kate Jennings, head of site conservation policy at RSPB

When it comes to how we protect nature one thing is absolutely clear: we need to do more. As the State of nature report says, the UK is one of the most nature depleted countries on earth, and the steps taken to protect the best and to restore the rest have simply failed to address the problem at anything like the scale needed. Read more

2020: time to walk the talk on climate and nature

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bird-2543567_1280-2This post is by Tony Juniper CBE, chair of Natural England and Emma Howard Boyd, chair of the Environment Agency.

As we start the New Year, it’s clear that 2020 is our last chance to bring the world together to take decisive action on climate change, to protect our communities and reverse the alarming loss of wildlife we have witnessed in recent years. Read more

Chris Packham: don’t just moan, stand and be counted

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chris packhamThis week, we interviewed the naturalist, nature photographer and author, Chris Packham, about his Walk for Wildlife which will take place in London on Saturday 22 September.

Q. The Walk for Wildlife is a great initiative but why are you doing it now? Why this moment?

I, and many others, have reached a critical point of frustration. We know from the State of Nature report that many habitats and species are in decline. I’m armed with an enormous repository of statistics which I felt I had normalised, and they were just going up. Every time a new survey is done the figures get worse. I sensed that it wasn’t just me feeling this way. There is a general groundswell of people thinking “we have to do something now”. Read more

The prime minister’s environment speech must herald a shift to restore nature

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35894018871_3a2b1e0cdb_bTomorrow, Theresa May will deliver a major speech on the environment, it will be the first keynote environment speech delivered by a British prime minister since Tony Blair did so in 2000. David Cameron might have hugged huskies in the Arctic but, in practice, the environment as a whole was not a top priority for him (although he did address the UN on climate and gave a small speech on energy efficiency). Blair also delivered a major speech specifically on climate in 2004.

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Big questions for a Greener Britain from the RSPB

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Great TitThis post is by Mike Clarke, CEO of the RSPB.

When governments put their minds to protecting our environment, they can achieve some extraordinary things.

Climate change action has the potential to be one of them. It was a small triumph of global co-operation that 195 countries ratified the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Even though there’s still a long way to go before we have a fair, ambitious and binding new deal, it is testament to strong international leadership that countries are willing to act together. The UK’s cross party pledge on climate change, brokered by Green Alliance, demonstrates that climate commitment continues even in challenging economic times. Read more

On the second day of Christmas: no turtle doves? Why we should get serious about wildlife decline

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5038525_sThis post is by Dr Mark Avery who writes daily at Standing up for Nature and was formerly conservation director at the RSPB.

There are 500 days until the 2015 general election and so time is running out for the coalition government to impress the electorate with its green successes.  In 2013 there have been two major NGO reports which indicate wildlife is still declining in the UK and that action by the Westminster government is inadequate. Read more

Localism is the cornerstone of environmentalism

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localismThis post is by Sarah Newton, Conservative MP for Truro and Falmouth, one of the MPs working with us on our Climate Leadership Programme. This post was first published by The Guardian.

As a member of the science and technology select committee I am delighted to have secured and be participating in an inquiry into public understanding of climate change.

As we have interviewed expert witnesses and considered a range of written evidence, one thing has struck me in particular. While there is an ongoing public discussion on climate change that needs more scientific input and greater participation, a clear development in recent years has been the rise in the numbers of people prepared to do something about climate change. Read more