The Climate and Nature Bill offers hope for the future

My heart lifts on spring mornings when I wake up to the cacophony of the dawn chorus.

I love the restorative power of nature, my wife and I have enjoyed introducing our children to the restorative great outdoors here over the last decade and a half.

Whatever our age, we should have the opportunity of getting outside and connecting with the natural world.

Unfortunately, according to the State of Nature Report 2023, the UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world and things aren’t getting any better.

Since 1970, essential pollinators such as bees, hoverflies and moths decreased by 18 per cent on average, whilst predatory insects, like the two-spot ladybird which helps control crop pests, have declined by more than a third.

Many other flowering plants and other species have dramatically fallen.

These losses have been caused largely by changes in the way we manage our land for farming, climate change and development.

The Conservative government did not prioritise nature, seeing it as a ‘nice to have’ and cutting to the bone the budgets of a key statutory body – Natural England.

The new government is putting in place plans to mitigate climate change.

However, we have yet to see how it will approach the biodiversity crisis, and I am troubled by reports that contrary to scientific advice, it may re-licence some bee-killing "neonicotinoids", which would break a manifesto pledge.

The Liberal Democrats have always had strong environmental policies and I am very pleased that one of our MPs, Roz Savage, is leading the way on this with a Private Members Bill – the Climate and Nature Bill, inspired by the Zero Hour campaign.

While the existing Environment Act offers to halt the decline of nature by 2030, the Climate and Nature Bill commits to REVERSING the destruction of nature by 2030.

It’s a small change in words but represents a big difference in terms of ambition.

In August, I met with representatives from Devon Wildlife Trust, the RSPB, the National Trust and the Woodland Trust to walk across Aylesbeare Common - one of the most highly protected landscapes in Devon - to talk about the challenges and how I can help.

I will be throwing my support behind the Climate and Nature Bill and all that it represents.

I hope other MPs do likewise, as it needs their support to succeed.