Environmental issues ranked second only to healthcare

According to the latest WWF data, 80% of the people in the South West are concerned about the environment.

The environment comes joint second in the UK list of concerns as a nation-beating crime, economy, housing, education and employment, only behind healthcare.

Climate change, plastic usage and loss of wildlife are the top three environmental concerns for residents of the South West, the home of some of the most amazing green areas of the country.

The depth of our feeling around the wellbeing of the planet and our local environment is perhaps unsurprising. The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, with a 41% decline in species since 1970 – more than the global average. Over 1,000 species are currently at risk of extinction, and more than 130 species are already extinct.

One UK favourite that has suffered steep declines in recent years is the hedgehog – and 28% of Brits stated they have never seen one.  This may not be surprising, as hedgehog numbers have plummeted by half in the UK since 2000, as result of habitat loss, pesticide use and intensive farming. 

But nature is not just ‘nice to have’, it’s our life support system and vital to society and the economy. Figures released this week by WWF show that failure to act on the nature and climate emergency in the UK could cost us a staggering £12 billion pounds in coastal damages alone. 

Fanny Calder, Director of Campaigns and Public Affairs at WWF, said: “Our forests are burning, our icecaps are melting and our wildlife is being wiped out around the world. Our new data, although alarming, is not surprising and it underlines the need for commitment from our leaders for urgent action on the climate and nature crisis. While the British people may be divided on Brexit, we know they’re united by a love of nature and concern about our warming planet. Whoever ends up as our next Prime Minister needs to show bold leadership to drive the global ambition needed to fight for our world. We need real investment and policies which end the UK’s contribution to climate change, remove deforestation from our food supply chains and put nature on the path to recovery at home and abroad.” 

WWF is urging all political parties to respond to the nature and climate crisis, by committing to policies and investment to make the UK the first major economy to:

• Drive global ambition to respond to the planetary emergency 

• Halt our contribution to climate change  

• Put nature on a path to recovery  

• Stop deforestation in our food supply chains 

• Pioneer an economic and financial system that works for people and planet  

WWF’s full election manifesto asks can be found here: https://www.wwf.org.uk/updates/generalelection-2019