- Seven in 10 British people are demanding urgent political action to combat climate change and protect the natural environment
- 71% want their local MP to support ambitious plans to protect the natural environment and tackle climate change
- 81% of Brits think that tackling climate change and protecting the natural world are issues of concern for all generations
A clear majority (69%) of Brits want to see urgent political action to protect the natural environment and combat climate change, according to new research from The Climate Coalition and Greener UK. Against a backdrop of increasingly dire warnings of temperature rises and species extinction, seven in 10 (71%) also want their MP to support ambitious plans to tackle these twin challenges.
An ambitious Environment Act is desperately needed. This must establish a law requiring maps and plans to be drawn up to restore our rivers, towns and countryside to life – to establish a Nature Recovery Network
The research also highlights how the environment and climate change have become mainstream issues. Over three quarters (76%) of British people acknowledge that science shows a clear need for urgent action on climate change and the natural environment, while the vast majority (81%) of Brits see these issues as transcending generations, from children, to parents, and grandparents.
In response to the environmental and climate crisis and growing public support for political action, a mass lobby of parliament, called The Time Is Now will take place on Wednesday 26th June. It is being organised by The Climate Coalition and Greener UK, which together consist of over 130 organisations including CAFOD, the Women’s Institute, the National Trust, The Wildlife Trusts and Christian Aid. More than 14,000 people representing 99% of constituencies intend to come to Westminster to meet their local MP and demand urgent action on climate change and nature’s recovery.
The research reveals that a majority of British people are committed to strong new environmental laws. Two thirds (66%) say the government needs to pass a new environment bill urgently, with legally binding targets that create a healthier environment. As the government sets a target in national law for ending the UK’s contribution to climate change by 2050, the survey also finds that two thirds (66%) of Brits believe the UK needs to cut its carbon emissions to zero within the next few decades.
Commenting on the findings and formation of the mass lobby, Joan Edwards, Director of Public Affairs at The Wildlife Trusts says:
“The government’s decision to set a net zero target in law was clearly a response to calls for action from voters which have grown louder and louder in recent months. Now we need our politicians to pass a strong Environment Bill which puts a Nature Recovery Network at its heart – the only way wildlife will thrive again is if we create bigger, better, wilder landscapes through town and country and link them up.
“The findings in this poll make clear the scale of support for action in the form of statistics. The people travelling to Westminster to speak to MPs next week will show what that support looks like in person.”
Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts, Stephanie Hilborne OBE, says:
“The thousands of people coming together for the mass lobby are a small fraction of the millions who are crying out for government leadership on nature’s recovery. An ambitious Environment Act is desperately needed. This must establish a law requiring maps and plans to be drawn up to restore our rivers, towns and countryside to life – to establish a Nature Recovery Network – and funding must be directed towards this. Only this will reverse the catastrophic declines in the abundance of wildlife. Only this can ensure vast areas of our towns, cities and countryside come back to life. Urgent action is needed for a Wilder Future. The Time is Now.”
