Boris Johnson has been urged to make a series of New Year’s resolutions that tackle the climate crisis.
Leading conservation charities have written to the Prime Minister about how to ease the environmental emergency engulfing the natural world – and put forward a series of possible solutions.
He was told to restore peatland faster, bring forward the ban on peat in horticulture, and increase ocean protection, notably by giving seagrass a highly protected status.
The National Trust, RSPB, Woodland Trust and Wildlife Trusts also urged Mr Johnson to make sure the new payment system for farmers encourages nature and climate-friendly farming, and called for him to boost tree planting with largely native trees in the right place.
The seven resolutions also include ensuring that the network of protected sites is large enough and managed correctly to protect nature and the carbon stored within them.
Welcoming a commitment from the Government to restore 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030, the organisations warned that only 3% of land can currently be seen as specifically protected for nature.
The groups also back a new requirement for all public decision making to takes future climate risks into account when communities and landscapes need to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Restoring all peatlands – the UK’s largest natural carbon sink and a key wildlife habitat which is currently emitting carbon because of its degraded state – would save far more than it would cost, the groups argue.
They also want the Government to bring forward a long-promised ban on the use of peat in horticulture ‘as a matter of urgency’ and immediately ban burning upland peat.
In the oceans, they want renewed pledges to protect coastal areas such as salt marshes and curbs on fishing which harms the seabed and releases carbon.
It comes after a series of pledges made at the key Cop26 climate talks in Glasgow in November, which the organisations want the Government to build on through the actions they have set out.
Craig Bennett, chief executive of the Wildlife Trusts, said 2022 needed to be the year the Government stepped up with renewed commitments and investment for a healthier future for people and nature.
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‘There’s still a huge gulf between rhetoric and reality to tackle climate change.
‘We urgently need to cut carbon emissions deeper and faster and ensure nature recovers across across 30% of land and sea by the end of the decade.’
Dr Darren Moorcroft, chief executive of the Woodland Trust, added: ‘For nature and climate, 2022 will be just as critical as 2021 was.
‘We need the UK to show real leadership in the major international conferences on climate and biological diversity.
‘To back this up, all parts of the UK need to deliver decisive action, setting clear targets to restore nature, and working with land managers to create tree-rich resilient landscapes for people, nature and carbon.’
National Trust director general Hilary McGrady branded Cop26 ‘a real watershed moment’ in the fight against the nature and climate crises, but also warned the UK had seen the impact extreme weather events such as Storm Arwen had on the country’s landscapes.
‘This is why we are today calling on the Prime Minister to build on the pledges made at Cop26 and commit to a series of New Year resolutions to nature that ensure our natural defences against climate change are protected and nurtured in 2022 and beyond,’ she warned.
A Government spokesperson said they were ‘absolutely committed’ to tackling climate change.
They added: ‘We are taking action to limit rising temperatures, with new pledges to cut carbon and methane emissions, end deforestation, phase out coal and provide more finance to countries most vulnerable to climate change.’
The spokesperson said England’s new Sustainable Farming Incentive would reward land managers for using more environmentally friendly farming practices, while the Government was also consulting on plans to phase out the use of peat in the horticulture sector, and was promoting sustainable management of peat habitats.
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