IS the government trying to hide the true threat from the climate and nature crisis?
A few weeks ago, a shocking report was released from Britain’s intelligence chiefs: the ‘global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and national security assessment’.
We nearly didn’t get to read it at all. It was meant to be published last year, but according to reports, the government blocked it because it was too negative. It took a Freedom of Information request for it to even be published.
But once it was released, the warning it contained was chilling: that the collapse of ecosystems around the world presents a serious – and escalating – threat to our national security.
As the climate and nature crisis threatens soil, plants and animal life across the world, the resources we rely on are declining. We’re already seeing the effects, and they are likely to get worse in the years ahead: the report warned of difficulties accessing water, crops failing, fishing stocks collapsing, and new diseases emerging.
For too long Labour and Tory governments have stuck their heads in the sand, and treated the climate crisis like a distant issue – not taking seriously the very real consequences it’s already having for people in the UK. Consequences which will only worsen unless our government acts urgently to protect us.
The public deserves to know what we’re facing – not least so that we can demand that our politicians do better when it comes to making sure our communities are prepared to deal with it.
Because there is plenty governments can do. First, of course, we need urgent action to stop the climate crisis from worsening. That means leaving oil and gas in the ground – not opening up new oil fields like the Rosebank development, which ministers still haven’t ruled out. It also means investing in protecting and restoring nature, on which we all rely for our food, water, clean air and a healthy environment.
Alongside that we also need action to deal with the impacts of the climate crisis that are already here. Extreme heat and cold are already costing lives in the UK because our buildings aren’t designed to keep people warm in winter and cool in summer. Homes in Wales are being bulldozed because they are so vulnerable to flooding. Food prices are skyrocketing and are set to rise further.
The government must act urgently to protect us. Natural flood protection, fixing our homes so they can shelter us better from the heat and cold, and repairing our broken food system so we grow more of what we need here at home.
I’ll keep fighting for action to protect Bristol and the whole country from the effects of the climate and nature crisis.
• If you live in Bristol Central and need help with a local issue, email me at bristolcentraloffice@parliament.uk or write to Carla Denyer MP, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA For national issues email me using carla.denyer.mp@parliament.uk