Category: Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE : Libya’s political elite are blocking progress – UK statement at the Security Council [December 2022]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 16 December 2022.

Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the Security Council briefing on Libya.

Thank you President,

I thank SRSG Bathily and you Ambassador Kamboj and you as 1970 Committee chair for your briefings and updates.

I’d like to make three points.

Firstly, we welcome SRSG Bathily’s clear message to Libya’s political elite that they are blocking progress and must urgently come together to agree a pathway forward on the political process. As we approach a year since elections were due, the lack of progress is striking, despite the demonstrable desire of the Libyan people to vote. We stand ready to support SRSG Bathily as he works towards an inclusive Libyan-led process that can deliver long-term political stability, economic prosperity, security sector reform and the removal of foreign forces and mercenaries, including the Wagner Group, from Libya.

Secondly, we note with disappointment the lack of progress towards agreement on a legal and constitutional basis for elections. The continued inability of the House of Representatives and High State Council to deliver this undermines their credibility and stalls progresss. As a Council, we should collectively bring pressure to bear on Libya’s political leaders to work constructively with SRSG Bathily and a broader range of Libyan actors to agree an achievable basis for free, fair and inclusive parliamentary and presidential elections without further delay.

Thirdly, vibrant and open civil society should be an integral part of the political process. I remain deeply concerned by reports of increased restrictions and decreased operating space for civil society organisations. I call on all Libyan parties to ensure civil society actors, including women activists and peacebuilders, can continue their roles safely and unhindered. I also ask SRSG Bathily to ensure civil society and the voices of Libyan citizens are represented in the political process that seeks to determine their future.

This past year has seen Libya face many obstacles, with a disappointing absence of sustainable progress on the way forward. I urge all Libyan actors, with support from the region and the wider international community, to fulfil their responsibilities to deliver political progress. We the Council should give our full support to SRSG Bathily in ensuring they achieve this.

Thank you.

December 17, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : UK to continue global leadership on marine protection [December 2022]
The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 16 December 2022.

The UK will continue as Chair of the Global Ocean Alliance as it calls for more ambition to meet the 30by30 ocean pledge.

Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey today urged more countries to join the more than 120 nations who already support the pledge to protect 30% of the world’s ocean by 2030.

Speaking as global leaders came together to tackle the global biodiversity crisis at the UN Conference of Biological Diversity (CBD) CO15 in Montreal, Canada, the Environment Secretary led calls for more ambitious and meaningful outcomes for ocean protection and confirmed the UK will renew its role as Chair of the Global Ocean Alliance beyond COP15.

By continuing in this role, the UK will remain as a leading voice in pushing for ambitious ocean action and the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework in the marine environment.

It comes as Defra announced that £20 million in grants – worth between £250,000 and £3 million – will be made available to local organisations around the world to help tackle illegal fishing and fight marine pollution, as well as sustainably managing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and protecting rare habitats and species.

Alongside this, the UK will contribute a further £17 million of aid from the Blue Planet Fund to the World Bank’s PROBLUE programme, bringing total UK support to PROBLUE to £25 million. To date, PROBLUE has helped over 100 projects in more than 70 countries, including supporting the ASEAN regional plastic waste trade, and India’s transition to a regulated sustainable fishery regime.

Speaking at the Convention on Biological Diversity COP15 during IOC-UNESCO Ocean Action Day, Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said:

It is almost impossible to overstate the importance of a healthy, safe, sustainably used ocean for millions of people all around the world.

I’m delighted to confirm that the UK will continue as Chair of the Global Ocean Alliance where we are committed to securing the maximum possible ambition and achieving the greatest possible impact to put nature on a road to recovery and help us protect at least 30% of the global ocean by 2030.

The UK’s £500 million Blue Planet Fund supports developing countries to protect the marine environment and reduce poverty. Initial investment of £20 million for OCEAN (Ocean Community Empowerment And Nature), a new competitive grants programme, will support innovative proposals from in-country organisations that secure healthy marine ecosystems and reduce overfishing. They will also ensure communities have increased capacity to manage marine pollution.

PROBLUE, a World Bank Multi-Donor Trust Fund, supports projects around the world that focus on the sustainable management of fisheries and aquaculture. The UK Government’s investment will help address marine pollution, support the development offshore renewable energy and help governments around the world to better manage their marine and coastal resources. Since its launch, PROBLUE has provided support to over 100 projects in more than 70 countries.

Pitcairn Islands in focus

The UK Government’s leadership on ocean protection extends across the globe, as new survey findings from Cefas (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science) and Blue Abacus has today revealed.

The Pitcairn Islands, a UK Overseas Territory in the Pacific Ocean, are home to one of the world’s largest Marine Protected Areas (MPA) – three-and-a-half times the size of the UK. Its waters are some of the most remote and understudied in the world and contain rare and endangered species.
Established as a no-take zone in 2019, Pitcairn’s MPA area prohibits commercial fishing, drilling and other extractive activities. Shark fishing was also banned in 2018.

A two-week expedition in 2021 funded by the UK Government’s Blue Belt Programme uncovered key findings on rare species like sharks and humpback whales, in addition to the impacts of climate change on coral reefs. Key findings include:
- Sharks were observed in over half (66%) of all the underwater surveys, with multiple species (such as Grey Reef shark, Galapagos shark and the Whitetip Reef Shark) observed in half (51%). It suggests that the ban on shark fishing has had an impact in supporting healthy shark populations, which are higher than the global average (it is estimated that sharks have disappeared from a quarter of the world’s reefs).
- Six individual humpback whales were seen on the seabed with many more recorded from surface observations, including mothers and their calves. The age of the calves indicates that the whales are using the Pitcairn MPA as a calving and nursery ground safe from human activities and threats.
- A total of 7,319 individual fish were recorded from 203 different species, including endemic fish species, such as the many-spined butterflyfish (Hemitaurichthys multispinosus).
Simeon Archer Rand, Senior Marine Advisor at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), commented:

The results of this landmark survey are a significant success for the Pitcairn Islands. This community in the Pacific Ocean is guardian of one of the world’s largest no-take Marine Protected Areas, providing a sanctuary for marine life in the vast Pacific Ocean. The island has strong cultural links to the ocean and its passion to protect it is clearly shown in its actions.

Since 2016 we in the Blue Belt Programme have assisted the island community to further their ability to monitor their marine environment, as well as strengthen the governance of the invaluable MPA.

The survey data collected will help Pitcairn to effectively manage the MPA, ensuring these key habitats are protected into the future. But there is still a lot to learn. We are just beginning our journey in terms of understanding this globally important region.

From 2016 until March 2022, the Blue Belt Programme has been supported by £35 million of UK Government funding, with a further £8 million committed this financial year until March 2023.
December 16, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : Human Rights Day – Summary of Lord Ahmad’s speech [December 2022]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 16 December 2022.

Lord Ahmad began by reflecting on the theme of Human Rights Day 2022: ‘Dignity, Freedom, and Justice for All’. This theme got to the nub of what human rights mean to peoples’ lives, something that Eleanor Roosevelt – who was instrumental in drafting the Universal Declaration – had alluded to when she said universal human rights begin:

in small places…the neighbourhood…the school…the factory, farm, or office…Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere.

Lord Ahmad stressed that, this year, the UK’s resolve to promote and protect human rights had only been strengthened by the injustices around us. He gave an overview of the UK’s work to promote human rights, which spanned every continent. From Ethiopia to Pakistan, from Iran to Ukraine. From the right to life, to media freedom, to education.

From the UK’s role in evacuating Afghans at risk following the Taliban takeover in August 2021, to the UK’s global leadership in promoting Freedom of Religion or Belief and Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, to UK targeted programming to end modern slavery, the UK had, and would continue to, stand up for the human rights of everyone, everywhere.

Lord Ahmad noted he had met with countless human rights survivors from across the world. He gave personal reflections on the importance of making sure survivors’ voices are heard, and stressed that we all have a role to play in creating the conditions for everyone to enjoy their human rights.

Lord Ahmad ended by paying homage to human rights defenders, the ultimate guardians of equality and freedom, and by extending his heartfelt thanks to everyone who works with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office to champion human rights – for their creativity, tenacity, and unwavering resilience. He stressed that together we can change the world for the better, and secure “dignity, freedom, and justice for all”.

December 16, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : Statement by the Troika and the European Union on violence in Upper Nile and Jonglei States [December 2022]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 16 December 2022.

The Troika (UK, US and Norway) and the EU have issued a statement on the escalation in violence in the Upper Nile and Jonglei, South Sudan.

Members of the Troika and EU are deeply concerned by an escalation in violence in Upper Nile and Jonglei, South Sudan, where there have been reports of scores of civilians killed and around 50,000 displaced. These killings, homes and livelihoods burned and destroyed, and sexual and gender-based violence including against minors, are horrifying and cannot go unaddressed. The impact of this violence on an already dire humanitarian situation is further devastating vulnerable communities and their access to health and education services. It is clear that South Sudan’s transitional leaders bear a share of the responsibility for the escalation of this violence, and primary responsibility for ending it. The Troika and EU urgently calls on South Sudan’s transitional leaders to act now to end the violence and protect civilians. We call on all South Sudanese authorities to allow and facilitate the safe access and delivery of humanitarian assistance to Upper Nile and Jonglei State as well as in other conflict areas in the country, and to the more than 9.4 million people in need of aid across South Sudan.

We call on all sides to abide by the conditions set out in the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement. Each missed implementation benchmark further calls into question the political commitment of South Sudan’s leaders to end the transitional period in two years. Inaction now will lead to more innocent South Sudanese lives lost and a humanitarian situation that continues to worsen with each month. An enduring, nation-wide peace is the only way to address South Sudan’s appalling human rights and humanitarian situation.

December 16, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : Efforts to tackle serious violence and homicide stepped up [December 2022]
The press release issued by the Home Office on 16 December 2022.

The Serious Violence Duty will come into effect in January 2023, placing a new legal requirement on a range of public sector organisations to share information locally to reduce incidents of violence, like knife and gun crime, and prevent loss of life.

Guidance published today (16 December 2022) will support police, health, fire and rescue services, local government and criminal justice partners in meeting their responsibilities under the duty, outlining how they must collaborate to find and address the causes of serious violence in their communities.

The Home Secretary will be able to step in where public bodies are not delivering on their duty to work together and, where necessary, can issue directions compelling them to do more.

Early intervention and prevention lies at the heart of this ‘whole-system’ response.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said:

Any life lost to violence will always be one too many. While knife crime is falling and gun crime in this country remains low, we simply cannot get complacent.

We know that the drivers behind such violence are complex and preventing further tragedy is the shared responsibility upon all in public service – not just the police. This new duty will see schools, hospitals and councils work together to intervene before devastation happens.

With strategies to cut violence prioritised in every local area and the recruitment of 20,000 additional police officers, we will keep our young people and our streets safe.

In tackling serious violence, duty holders should focus on public space youth violence, including knife and gun crime, and activities where threats of violence are commonplace, such as county lines. The duty has been introduced through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act (2022), which was amended to also make clear that serious violence can include domestic abuse and sexual offences.

Each area will set their own definition of serious violence, based on what affects their communities. Police and Crime Commissioners will bring together relevant agencies, from law enforcement to local authorities, education, health and the voluntary sector, to create a strategy targeting their area’s specific needs.

The guidance has been published following a public consultation and engagement with public sector bodies, Violence Reduction Units and the voluntary sector in summer 2022.

To prevent more murders from being committed, a number of innovative projects have also been awarded a share of £1.8m of government funding over the next 2 years, including 5 nation-wide initiatives. This includes:
- The National Police Chiefs’ Council investing in new technology such as data mining, artificial intelligence and machine learning to identify and manage likely perpetrators of domestic abuse and knife crime. They will also create a knife crime co-ordinator role, to work directly with the Home Office and forces across the country, building a national picture on knife carrying and policing best practice in this area.
- The National Crime Agency driving behavioural science research on how to stop young people being drawn to homicide.
- The College of Policing analysing ‘near-misses’, including attempted murder. This will improve understanding of trends around homicide, by increasing the number of cases available for study. They will also replicate a project by Kent Police, where domestic abuse data is shared between accident and emergency departments and police to better identify and help those at risk of lethal violence.
The government has made £130m available this financial year (2022/2023) to tackle serious violence, including murder and knife crime, building on similar levels of investment in previous years.

The evidence shows that this whole system approach to tackling serious violence is working. Through police, government and community efforts to tackle the crime that hits our communities the hardest, since 2019:
- 90,000 dangerous weapons have been taken off our streets.
- Over 49,000 violent offences prevented and 260,000 vulnerable young people have been supported through ‘hotspot policing’ tactics and Violence Reduction Units.
Also in early 2023, four police forces across the country will trial new powers to stop and search those convicted for knife crime or offensive weapon offences. Police, local authorities and public health bodies in three regions will also work together to review homicides involving offensive weapons, identifying where lessons can be learnt from these deaths. Pending successful pilots, both approaches would then be rolled out nation-wide.
December 16, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : New legally binding environment targets set out [December 2022]
The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 16 December 2022.

Targets to protect our environment, clean up our air and rivers and boost nature have been published.

Legally binding targets to protect our environment, clean up our air and rivers and boost nature have been published today (Friday 16 December) following extensive consultation as part of the government’s commitment to leave the environment in a better state for future generations.

Together they will drive forward action to tackle climate change, restore our natural capital and protect our much-loved landscapes and green spaces.

The Government will publish its Environmental Improvement Plan in January 2023 setting out in more detail how we will achieve these targets, including interim targets.

Publication of the targets today follows three years of detailed consideration of the scientific and economic evidence, which was published in March 2022, to inform draft targets. A comprehensive consultation on these was run earlier this year which saw over 180,000 responses from a range of individuals, businesses and other organisations.

Sitting at the heart of the government’s Environment Act, the targets require us to:
- Halt the decline in species populations by 2030, and then increase populations by at least 10% to exceed current levels by 2042
- Restore precious water bodies to their natural state by cracking down on harmful pollution from sewers and abandoned mines and improving water usage in households
- Deliver our net zero ambitions and boost nature recovery by increasing tree and woodland cover to 16.5% of total land area in England by 2050
- Halve the waste per person that is sent to residual treatment by 2042
- Cut exposure to the most harmful air pollutant to human health – PM2.5
- Restore 70% of designated features in our Marine Protected Areas to a favourable condition by 2042, with the rest in a recovering condition.
Our world-leading target to halt the decline in species abundance will be followed by a target to reverse that decline, alongside a further target to reduce the risk of species extinction. This will be supported by our target to restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat, which will also help the UK to meet its international commitment to protect 30% of its land and ocean by 2030.

Targets to cut harmful pollution reaching our rivers will help achieve our ambition for more water bodies to be in their natural state, with an 80% cut in total phosphorus pollution from wastewater treatments by 2038 helping to safeguard our waterways.

Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey, speaking at the UN Convention in Montreal today, said:

We are committed to leaving our natural world in a better state for future generations, and today we are laying the foundations that will help deliver on this commitment.

These targets are ambitious and will be challenging to achieve – but they will drive our efforts to restore our natural environment, protect our much-loved landscapes and green spaces and marine environment, as well as help tackle climate change.

Marian Spain, chief executive of Natural England, said:

The message is clear: without the ambitious targets to tackle climate change and reverse the long-term decline in Nature, we will be unable to sustain the ecosystems on which we rely for our health and our prosperity.

We therefore welcome today’s publication of the statutory targets needed to put Nature recovery at the heart of the government’s priorities. With the first targets only eight years away, we are already working with the government and with businesses, land managers and environmental charities through the Nature Recovery Network Partnership to ensure that we are on track to turn around England’s loss of nature and deliver the ambitions set out in the 25 Year Environment Plan.

The UK is an international leader on the environment and nature. We have created or restored plant and wildlife habitats the size of Dorset, we are investing more than £750 million in the environment through our Nature for Climate Fund, and we have established a network of marine protected areas across 130,000 square miles of English waters. But we want and need to do more, as these targets demonstrate.

Under the UK’s Climate COP Presidency, 145 countries – representing over 90% of the world’s forests – signed a pledge to halt deforestation and land degradation by 2030.

The announcement comes as environment ministers participate in the high level segment of COP15 in Montreal to agree an ambitious Global Biodiversity Framework. Countries like the UK are seeking to build support for the adoption of a robust framework including the target to protect 30% of the world’s land and ocean by 2030. Yesterday the UK announced its participation in the Donor Joint Statement which commits billions of new finance annually from international donors to close the nature finance gap.
December 16, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : Adrian Ramsay makes key demands on UK government during visit to Suffolk nature reserve [December 2022]
The press release issued by the Green Party on 9 December 2022.

Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay has made a series of key demands of Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey during a visit to a nature reserve in her Suffolk constituency today [Friday] which sits in the shadow of the planned Sizewell C nuclear power plant.

Ramsay visited the important RSPB Minsmere site while politicians from around the world attended the UN COP15 biodiversity summit in Montreal. He called on the Environment Secretary to show international leadership on the issue, starting with fully reversing the government’s attacks on nature.

Ramsay has called on the government to:
- Publish a clear pathway to meet its commitment to restore 30% of land for nature by 2030
- To scrap plans to weaken protections for nature in the Retained EU Law (revocation and reform) Bill
- Stop dragging its feet on introducing the promised nature-friendly farming payments scheme
Ramsay, who is standing as a parliamentary candidate for the Greens in Suffolk at the next general election, said:

“The government’s attacks on nature have rightly been very strongly challenged by the RSPB, the Wildlife Trusts, the National Trust and others. The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. Protecting and restoring nature is deeply important to people in Thérèse Coffey’s constituency and around the country. During the biodiversity COP, the Environment Secretary must rethink the government’s approach and show international leadership on this crucial issue.

“Minsmere is a great example of rich and varied landscapes, managed carefully by the RSPB to ensure that the huge variety of wildlife survives and thrives. Yet this site, within the environment secretary’s constituency, is under threat from the Sizewell C nuclear power plant [2], which was given the go ahead by the government last week. Meanwhile the government’s weak and harmful policies are failing to prevent and reverse further declines in wildlife and nature at sites across the country.

“That’s why the Green Party is calling for the government to immediately stop dragging its feet on introducing the promised nature-friendly farming payments scheme, publish a clear pathway to meet its commitment to restore 30% of land for nature by 2030 and scrap plans to weaken protections for nature in the Retained EU Law (revocation and reform) Bill.”

Earlier in the week the Green Party also called on the government to introduce a Rights of Nature Act to extend legal protections for wildlife and habitats in England and Wales, and establish an independent Commission for Nature to oversee the Act’s enforcement [3].

Notes

1

https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/reserves-a-z/minsmere/

2

https://www.rspb.org.uk/our-work/casework/cases/sizewell-c/

3

https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2022/12/07/greens-call-to-extend-legal-protections-for-wildlife/
December 16, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : Cumbria coal mine decision shows “government is the pits” on tackling the climate crisis [December 2022]

The press release issued by the Green Party on 7 December 2022.

Commenting on Levelling-Up Secretary Michael Gove’s go ahead for the Cumbria coal mine, Green Party of England and Wales co-leader Adrian Ramsay said:

“It’s a disgrace that this decision has been cynically delayed until just after we have ceased to hold the COP Presidency. This government really is the pits.

“England and Wales have huge natural advantages and the economic strength to harness renewable wind, wave and solar power. The government should be leading the world toward renewable forms of energy not encouraging it to move backwards.

“The government’s environmental credentials are in tatters. Around the world, countries are striving to tackle the climate crisis by closing coal mines, yet here the government is opening one.

“This latest decision follows the green light for new North Sea oil and gas licences.

“Global leadership must begin at home and we need to see a clear commitment from this government to keep fossil fuels in the ground. This means no new fossil fuel mining and a clear pathway to move rapidly away from oil, coal and gas in favour of renewables and a nationwide programme of home insulation to cut both emissions and energy bills.

“The mine will not be ‘carbon neutral’ as previously claimed and its coking coal is not essential to the future of steel production. At most, only 13 per cent of the coal from this mine is destined for the UK market [1]. The rest will be exported.

“Steel production is currently one of our most carbon intensive industries. That has to change and the companies themselves know it. Low carbon production technology exists and should be encouraged by government, not held back by creating new sources of dirty fuels.

“There is no doubt West Cumbria needs jobs but over-promising in order to open a new coal mine is not the answer. There needs to be investment in the green technologies that will create the sustainable jobs of the future.”

Jill Perry, Green Party councillor on the Shadow Authority of Cumberland Council and long-term campaigner against the coal mine, said:

“This is really bad news for local people, because what we really need are green jobs that benefit everyone in the community, not dirty jobs in an old industry where the profits are sucked out and hidden in tax havens.

“If we invest in retrofit of insulation and renewable technologies in our leaky housing stock, a lot of which isn’t even on the gas network, it will provide more jobs, cheaper heating bills and keep the money circulating in the local area.

“The steel industry doesn’t need this coking coal plant and neither do we.”

Notes

1 – https://theecologist.org/2022/dec/01/cumbrian-coal-mine-decision-imminent

December 16, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : UK transport falling behind – we need legislation to “get Britain moving”, say Greens [December 2022]

The press release issued by the Green Party on 7 December 2022.

The Green Party has accused the government of leaving transport “in a mess” by refusing to tackle key issues after the Transport Secretary says there is no time for new legislation in this parliament.

The statement was made at the Transport Select Committee where he also suggested that the government could cancel plans for Great British Railways.

Councillor Matt Edwards, the Green Party transport spokesperson said.

“It’s frankly astonishing that the British government is looking at the state of our railways and thinking that there is no problem to solve here.

“Privatisation on our railways has been a disaster and the creation of Great British Railways was meant to better coordinate all aspects of services including the planning of engineering works on the network.

“Years of underinvestment and lack of direction have meant that the railways, particularly in the North of England, are past breaking point. The government can’t keep looking for ‘alternative views’ when the common sense approach doesn’t fit with their extreme market-led ideology.”

Greens also say that legislation is needed to finally address the legal situation with other pressing issues including pavement parking. Parking on the pavement is only illegal in London, but a new ban has been promised for years and would cover the whole of England.

Councillor Edwards said,

“I know the impact the delay on legislation around pavement parking is having, particularly on disabled people and parents with prams and pushchairs. The law is complicated and in many cases people are left with neither local authorities nor the police willing to tackle problems.

“The job of government is to govern. We need new legislation to fix all the loopholes in our laws and get Britain moving. But the government seems determined to avoid taking any responsibility for anything.”

December 16, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : Greens call to extend legal protections for wildlife [December 2022]
The press release issued by the Green Party on 7 December 2022.
- Call for legal protections for wildlife and habitats in England and Wales comes as COP15 biodiversity summit meets in Montreal
- Regeneration of nature should be at the heart of all policy making
Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay has called on the government to introduce a Rights of Nature Act [1] as scientists, government officials and activists gather for the UN COP15 biodiversity summit in Montreal today [Wednesday, 7 December].

The Act would extend legal protections for wildlife and habitats in England and Wales, and establish an independent Commission for Nature to oversee the Act’s enforcement.

Ramsay has also accused the environment secretary, Thérèse Coffey, of arriving “empty handed” at the UN COP15 biodiversity summit in Montreal. He said a Rights of Nature Act is exactly what is needed to demonstrate the UK is genuinely committed to halting and reversing species decline.

Adrian Ramsay said:

“This government stands accused by a wide variety of environmental and conservation groups of an attack on nature [2]. Ministers deny this, but the government is pushing through new laws that will weaken protections for nature and dragging its feet on introducing the promised nature-friendly farming payment scheme.

“Despite the UK being one of the most nature depleted countries in the world, Thérèse Coffey is attending the UN biodiversity summit empty handed.

“There is little confidence in the government meeting its target to halt the decline in species by 2030 [4], and the government appears to have made no progress on its commitment to restore 30% of land for nature by 2030.

“Instead, the pace that we are losing nature continues to accelerate and there is no sign of a reversal in this trend. We face an ecological emergency which poses real threats to human society – to food and water supplies, to clean air, to our ability to adapt to a warming world.

“This is why the Green Party wants to see a Rights of Nature Act [5]. This would provide legal protections for wildlife and habitats in England and Wales, and be enforced by an independent Commission for Nature. It would also ensure that the regeneration of nature is at the heart of all policy considerations.

“Such an Act would also seek to increase accessibility to nature for all, as this is an important way to improve physical and mental health and general wellbeing.

“If the UK government wants to demonstrate a genuine commitment to halting and reversing species decline, and avoid arriving at future biodiversity summits empty handed, it will show leadership by introducing a Rights of Nature Act.”

Notes

1. https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/reserves-a-z/minsmere/

2. https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2021/10/23/green-party-backs-a-rights-of-nature-act-to-give-nature-legal-rights/

3. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/rspb-england-government-national-trust-wildlife-trusts-b2174501.html

4. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/nov/28/tories-embarrassingly-poor-nature-targets-2030-labour-says

5.https://theecologist.org/2021/nov/01/rights-nature
December 16, 2022