Over the summer your MP will be in your constituency where they are supposed to focus on the things you care about most - are they representing what you care about? Natasha Yorke-Edgell shows us why it’s the perfect opportunity to impress upon them how much you care about nature and that they need to take action.
The most important thing they can do for nature in the next 6 months is put pressure on Government to bring forward a new Environment Bill.
Over 10,000 of you have already sent an email to your MP demanding they champion an ambitious Environment Bill to come forward as soon as possible – thank you SO much. (If you haven’t taken part yet – click here!) Unfortunately, though, our politicians don’t seem to listen unless we do more than just send an email. We need them to feel as urgently about saving nature as we do – but how do we do it?
We’ve already had an incredible event that did things differently – The Time is Now mass lobby on 26th June, where over 12,000 people lobbied over 350 MPs in London – an incredible achievement! But we can’t let the momentum from this landmark event drop off, and we know we need to use every trick up our sleeves to make our politicians listen.
RSPB supporter with her Save Nature Now placard at The Time Is Now mass lobby
Over the summer parliament breaks and MPs return to their home towns. Their primary objective is building connections in the community, with people like you, and they invest lots of time in finding out what their constituents care about most. This is the perfect opportunity to get to know them and spend some time asking them what they’re doing to address the nature emergency, as well as climate.
We know that the most effective tool to influence politicians is face to face meetings and other personal interactions – whether that’s taking part in a local surgery (take a look at our webpages to find out what that is) or setting up a one-to-one meeting to talk to them. But it could also be another personalised action they’re not used to, like writing them a hand-written letter, or crafting them a gift with a note attached, or sending them a plant to grow in their garden and remind them to save nature – there are so many things you could do. What ideas do you have?
Speaking to your MP locally can really help make the issues real for them.
The most important thing is to get the human story behind all those messages about climate and ecological catastrophe through to them, because it’s the emotive, real-life stuff that cuts through the noise. If we want our politicians to take bold and radical action to save nature, we have to get creative, and we have to get personal.
So why not talk to your MP about the Environment Bill this summer? What wild and wonderful things can you think of that will help you tell that personal story in a new way? To help you with the more formal bits, like attending surgeries and writing letters – go to our website for all the tips and tricks you need to get going. And if you need any more help why not email the team with your questions? Campaigns@rspb.org.uk
Why not invite your MP to join you for a nature walk so you can show them what your local nature or green space means to you.
Below are the key ‘political’ points to raise when you speak/write to your MP. If you want more detail we’ve attached our briefing for MPs which you can download or take bits out of.
The nature we love is in crisis. There are many reasons for this, but ultimately nature hasn’t been prioritised in decision making. The next two years are critical – in 2020 the world’s leaders will come together in Kunming, China, at a global summit to save nature. Success in Kunming depends on global leadership from the UK.
Please demand the UK Government brings forward a bold, innovative, and ambitious new Environment Bill as a matter of urgency, to respond to the climate and ecological crisis declared by parliament. This Bill must:
I also urge you to ask Government to work closely with the devolved administrations so we have strong nature laws everywhere, because nature flows over our borders and seas. It unites us and we must unite to protect it.