There has been widespread positive coverage this week of our plans to restore nature and safeguard our environment for future generations.
In a speech delivered yesterday (Tuesday 18 May) at Forestry England’s Delamere Forest, Environment Secretary George Eustice announced new measures to tackle climate change and the biodiversity crisis and deliver our net zero commitment. The Minister announced new action plans on trees and peatlands, as well as plans to boost biodiversity through a new species reintroduction task force and amendments to the Environment Bill including a historic, new legally binding species target for 2030 which will drive action to halt the decline of nature and wildlife, amongst other measures.
Speaking from Delamere Forest, the Environment Secretary, said:
This is a huge step forward, and a world leading measure in the year of COP15 and COP26 as we build back greener from the pandemic. We hope that this will be the Net Zero equivalent for nature, spurring action of the scale required to address the biodiversity crisis.
Our press release outlining the key elements of the speech was reported widely. This included a front page article in The Telegraph, a comment piece by the Environment Secretary in the Daily Express, and articles in The Guardian, Daily Mail, I News, Evening Standard Online, Sky News Online and BBC Online .
This activity is part of a week for nature and follows Monday’s Queen’s Green Canopy announcement – a unique, UK-wide tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, by inviting people to “Plant a Tree for the Jubilee”. This was positively covered in outlets including The Telegraph, The Times, Sun, Daily Express, Daily Mail, ITV, Sky News and BBC. Comments from Prince Charles were carried, alongside a quote from the Prime Minister welcoming the initiative and acknowledging the role of trees in our fight against climate change.
The week will culminate in the G7 Climate and Environment Ministers meeting to be held tomorrow and Friday.
4 comments
Comment by John W. Baxter posted on
Cannot wait to be able to bathe downstream of waste water treatment discharge points and join the piscine benefactors of such an increase in investment in the amelioration of what appears to be a series of abused open sewers that drain the U.K.
Long overdue!.
Comment by Peter Hunt posted on
Unfortunately we can, if we ever achieve it, a net zero carbon footprint and still pump millions of gallons of sewage and all sorts of other pollutants into our rivers and still achieve the above goal.
Comment by Robert Nichols posted on
HS2 will destroy or irreparably damage five internationally protected wildlife sites, 693 local wildlife sites, 108 ancient woodlands and 33 legally protected sites. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jan/15/hs2-will-destroy-or-damage-hundreds-of-uk-wildlife-sites-report https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/protecting-trees-and-woods/campaign-with-us/hs2-rail-link/ https://theecologist.org/2020/jan/15/hs2-will-destroy-huge-swathes-woodland https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/hs2-will-damage-woodlands-without-helping-climate-crisis-177144/ https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-54343340
Comment by Sophie posted on
How does destroying woodlands, wildlife habitats, grasslands and wetlands to build HS2, the Concrete monster line, fit into this Green recovery?