Guest blog by my colleague Dr Richard Benwell, RSPB Parliamentary Programme Manager
There’s something satisfyingly medieval about a good Parliamentary lobby.
Obviously, we’d never want to see the caricature of pitchfork-waving anger that prompted protests of the past. Peaceful political lobbying is the marker of democratic success.
But there should still be a hint of fury mixed with a healthy dose of fun—as if to say “we’re really, really cross about climate change, and we’re gonna have a party outside Parliament till you do something about it”.
That’s the visceral, vocal mood I hope we’ll achieve together, if you can join us for the Speak Up For The Love Of climate lobby on Wednesday 17 June. No matter how slick we get at online activism, it can never replace the sight and sound of thousands of people raising their voices together to make the world better.
If you haven't signed up to come along yet, you can do so here.
There’s obviously still a lot to get cross about. Climate change is an existential threat for the most vulnerable communities in the world, like small island states, and it is an existential threat for many species and habitats. If IPCC projections come true, one in six species face extinction by 2100. Already, RSPB scientists are recording changes in food-availability and habitat that are affecting species like the capercaillie and crossbill here in the UK. Governments need to do much more to deal with the threat and sometimes our inability to cooperate boils the blood.
But there’s also a lot to celebrate. I’m actually amazed, impressed and heartened by how far the world has already come on climate. It’s extraordinary that almost 200 countries can agree to take action to avert a risk that often seems distant and abstract. Hopefully, we’re already at the point of peak emissions. Here in the UK, the Government has led the world with the Climate Change Act 2008, and the new Secretary of State, Amber Rudd MP, has already shown determination to continue to make progress.
That’s happened because of days like 17 June, when people gather to show the world we care. The theme of the lobby is about demonstrating our love for the things that will be affected by climate change—big things like nature and future generations, as well as more personal things like the view from a window, or a river teeming with life.
So, how do we get the most out of Speak Up For The Love Of?
First of all, please come, and please bring your friends. Bring banners and briefings and cakes to keep you going. The more the merrier and the more we can achieve.
The second step is to know what you want. The headline is let’s beat climate change, so let’s say that loud and clear. But if you’re lucky enough to speak to your MP in person, you’ll have a golden opportunity to express to them why climate change matters and what you want them to do about it. Why not practise what you would say, following the simple recipe of:
“(1) What’s the problem? (2) Why does it matter? (3) What should we do about it?”
I hope that for many of us, our love of nature will be the perfect way to express what’s at stake and what must be done, with the heart and conviction that will inspire MPs to act. For too long, nature conservation has been seen as peripheral or even at odds with the fight against climate change. In fact, the two go hand-in-hand. If I get to see my MP, I’ll say that:
(1) Climate change is still threatening people and nature, like the amazing Scottish Flow Country—one of my favourite places in the world.
(2) Millions of people, millions of pounds, and many wonders of our natural world are at stake.
(3) The UK can help forge a global deal in Paris. By taking UK action we can show leadership and improve people’s lives. Nature is part of the answer: restoring natural ecosystems like the peatland of the Flow Country can lock away carbon and build up our natural resilience to climate risks like flooding and sea-level rise. So, please give us a 25 year plan for nature, with annual reporting to Parliament, to restore our natural world and help beat climate change.
Together with our partners in The Climate Coalition, RSPB will send out a briefing to anyone who signs up. It will give you lots more ideas, like phasing out coal, or cleaning up transport. But the key really will be combining the call to action with the human story of why it all matters to you. That’s what will move our politicians to do everything they can for our environment.
I had a wonderful day at last year’s Rally for Nature and met lots of brilliant people. That day helped win us commitments for nature across the political spectrum in the General Election manifestos. But Speak Up For The Love Of can be the UK’s biggest, best and most effective climate lobby ever. It can help to avert climate change and save nature. Please do come and join us and let’s make it a House (of Commons) party to remember.
Matt Williams, Assistant Warden, RSPB Snape.