Biodiversity and Climate Change
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the public's understanding of increasing climate change and biodiversity loss; and what steps she is taking to help raise public awareness.
Answered by Mary Creagh
Government works with the cultural and heritage sector through the National Adaptation Programme to understand and address the impacts of climate change on the UK’s cultural heritage, including supporting heritage sites to assess physical risks such as flooding, coastal erosion and overheating
The Met Office supports public understanding of how climate change affects biodiversity by publishing accessible blogs and media content, and by working with partners such as The Wildlife Trusts and NatureScot to explain impacts on ecosystems in the UK and globally. [metoffice.gov.uk], [metoffice.gov.uk], [nature.scot]
Met Office science and communications also highlight practical risks to nature from a warming climate, including rising threats from pests and diseases and shifting species distributions. This work links climate science with biodiversity protection and supports wider public awareness, including through engagement with international processes such as IPBES. The Amazon: a hot spot for biodiversity and climate regulation - Met Office
Natural England works to build the evidence base on climate change in the context of biodiversity loss and provides advice to national and local government and professionals working in conservation and land management. The Climate Change Adaptation Manual - NE751 and Carbon Storage and Sequestration by Habitat 2021 - NERR094 illustrate this.
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