National Emergency Briefing - Nature is not a ‘nice-to-have’, it is critical national infrastructure
Nathalie Seddon was one of nine experts invited to deliver evidence at the UK’s first-ever National Emergency Briefing on the climate and nature crises, held on Thursday 27 November. Before an audience of over a thousand MPs, senior civil servants, industry bosses, and civic leaders, she argued that nature should not remain on the fringes of policy, but be recognised for its essential role in building resilience, and supporting the foundations of a safe, happy, and prosperous society.
Chaired by Professor Mike Berners-Lee and opened by broadcaster Chris Packham, the event set out to do something simple and radical: give decision-makers a clear, evidence-based assessment of how climate breakdown and nature loss are already undermining the safety and prosperity of everyone in the UK, and what can still be done to change course.
Read an excerpt of Nathalie's expert comment below, available in full on the University of Oxford website.
The UK is facing a national emergency not only because the climate is changing, but because the living systems that regulate that climate, protect our homes, and feed our people are breaking down. This is exposing our country to escalating risks: floods, fires, heatwaves, food insecurity, and economic instability.
Professor Nathalie Seddon speaking at the National Emergency Briefing
Image: National Emergency Briefing
The facts are sobering: the UK is one of the most nature-depleted nations on Earth, ranking in the bottom 10% of countries globally on the Biodiversity Intactness Index. Monitored wildlife populations have declined by around 19% since 1970, and one in six species is now at risk of extinction. Only 14% of rivers in England are in good ecological health, with chemical pollution, sewage discharge, soil erosion and agricultural runoff literally choking the arteries of our landscapes. Our peatlands, which store vast amounts of carbon, are now emitting millions of tonnes of CO₂ a year and increasing wildfire risk. Meanwhile, only 7% of our woodlands are healthy, and only 2.8% of our lands are considered effectively protected for nature.
This isn’t just a loss of beauty or heritage, critically important though that is, it is also a loss of the key functions that nature provides. Pollinators, for instance, contribute over half a billion pounds annually to UK agriculture, and their decline is resulting in less resilient food systems. When rivers fail, so does our resilience to droughts, floods, and water scarcity for agriculture and industry. The lack of trees and green space leaves many UK towns dangerously exposed to extreme heat.
Recent analysis by the Green Finance Institute and others suggests that if we continue to degrade nature, nature-related risks could cut UK GDP by around 5% (up to 12%) over the coming decade – a macroeconomic shock on the scale of a major financial crisis.
So, this is not an environmental issue on the margins of policy. It is a national security issue. But our current economic system is exacerbating these systemic risks by subsidising pollution, rewarding short-term extraction, and discounting the future.
Professor Nathalie Seddon (second from left) at the National Emergency Briefing
Image: National Emergency Briefing
Read the full expert comment
Read the Nature-based Solutions Initiative's summary of the event
Watch the National Emergency Briefing recording (3 hours)
Sign the open letter calling for a televised National Emergency Briefing for the public and a sustained public-information campaign
