As the UK prepares to host the COP26 climate conference, Cheshire wildlife Trust are calling on all local councils to declare a nature emergency to support their climate commitments.
The move comes after a bleak assessment from a UN report which indicates we are on track for dangerous levels of warming without immediate CO2 reductions over the next decade. The Trust are keen to stress that action needs to be taken on both a local and national level and that more focus needs to be given to the role nature has to play.
Charlotte Harris CEO of Cheshire Wildlife Trust says:
‘The climate crisis and the nature crisis are two sides of the same problem. Nature is in decline because of the impacts of climate change and climate change is accelerating due to nature’s destruction. We need people to recognise that you cannot tackle the climate crisis without tackling the nature crisis.’
‘Across the county, councils have declared climate emergencies but few are making this link. Nature cannot be an afterthought, it must be a key component of any climate change plan. When land isn’t managed for nature, it can not only stop storing CO2 but it can start emitting it.’
‘We’re urging all councils to declare a nature emergency to ensure nature has the focus it needs. Without it, we’re going to see plans failing to grasp the reality of the situation and a continued collapse in our natural world.’
‘Nature has the amazing potential to help us adapt to climate change and provides us with long-term solutions that may one day help us go net-negative. Right now though, it’s being overlooked. If we want to have a hope of achieving net-zero in the decades to come, we need to put a spotlight on the role nature has to play. For the sake of future generations, we must act now.’
The Trust are asking all members of the public to sign their petition and then send a personal message to their local councillor. The petition can be signed by both individuals and community groups, details of which can be found here: