The Wildlife Trusts announce senior role for climate action at key moment for the UK - The Wildlife Trusts
The Wildlife Trusts have created a new role to facilitate greater action on climate change at a key moment as the UK prepares to host the global climate conference later this year.
Kathryn Brown of the UK Government’s independent adviser, the Climate Change Committee, will be seconded to the The Wildlife Trusts as Director for Climate Action for six months beginning in August.
The new appointment comes at a critical time for The Wildlife Trusts who are, collectively, among the largest land managers in the UK who are leading efforts to restore 30% of land for nature by 2030 with a huge range of new and ongoing projects. They are at the forefront of repairing thousands of hectares of peatlands, saltmarsh and other carbon-storing habitats, as well as giving new areas of land a chance to recover for nature - providing vital natural solutions to climate change
Craig Bennett, Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts, says: “Climate change is already having a major impact on the natural world, but its effects will become even more severe unless we are able to cut emissions faster than we have been doing to date. The UK is already known to be one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world – of the G7 countries we are the most impoverished of species and habitats – but climate breakdown will make this bad situation worse. “The ability of natural habitats to store carbon is well-evidenced and it’s clear that you cannot deal with the nature and climate crises separately – they are inextricably linked. Kathryn Brown’s expertise will be enormously helpful in enabling us to play our part in addressing this twin emergency. When peatlands, saltmarshes and other habitats are in good condition, they lock-up carbon – but only 5% of UK land is any good for nature. People’s activities have damaged nature so much that land is now emitting carbon as well as being hostile for wildlife. It’s time to reverse this trend, restore nature and tackle the climate crisis too.”
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Posted On: 05/05/2021