In today’s blog, RSPB England Campaigner Pooja Kishinani reflects on the need for the UK Government to deliver urban green spaces that are beneficial for people and nature.
The Climate Change Committee’s recent report outlines recommendations to the UK Government to address overheating risks, which includes creating an urban greenspace target. It is vital that Government focuses on integrated solutions to deliver urban green spaces that not only promote the health and wellbeing of communities, but also enhance local biodiversity and tackle the nature and climate emergency.
Last month, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), the statutory body advising the UK Government and tracking its progress on climate commitments, published a new report containing recommendations to limit the health and wellbeing impacts of overheating. One of the key recommendations to Defra is to “introduce an urban greenspace target to reverse the decline and ensure towns and cities are adapted to more frequent heatwaves in the future and that the 25-Year goals are met.”
When it comes to the importance of accessible urban greenspace, we couldn’t agree more. Our Recovering Together report, published in May 2020, highlighted that investing in nature-rich greenspace and green infrastructure delivers multiple health, economic and environmental benefits. Urban green spaces boost the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities. When designed well, green spaces also allow local wildlife and biodiversity to thrive. They also act as a nature-based solution to tackle the climate crisis by making urban areas more resilient to flooding risks and other extreme weather events which are becoming increasingly frequent due to climate change.
The report also demonstrated overwhelming public support for investment into more accessible green spaces. 84% of survey respondents agreed the Government should increase the number of nature-rich accessible spaces, with 89% also agreeing that increasing access to nature-rich green spaces will help improve people’s health and wellbeing. Green spaces deliver multiple benefits when they work for people and nature, benefiting both communities and local wildlife.
We are in a nature emergency; biodiversity loss is one of our biggest environmental challenges. Nature can help us live better with, and adapt to, climate change impacts. Urban green spaces can drive nature’s recovery, while also building climate resilience and pushing us towards reaching net zero carbon targets.
Earlier this year, we published the report- Cracking the Code, in collaboration with the Royal Town Planning Institute and last year, Biodiversity in new housing developments, in collaboration with the NHBC Foundation. These reports contain recommendations to put nature recovery and net-zero at the centre of the urban planning process. Some key highlights include:
Plans for levelling up must recognise the importance of access to a healthy environment for people’s physical and mental health and wellbeing. Yet as it stands, access to blue and green space is absent from the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill. We would like to see Westminster Government include accessible nature rich green space for all as one of their Levelling Up missions, and for them to work closely with local government leaders in England - who have an important role to play in protecting and enhancing their local natural environment - in order to achieve it.
Investing in nature-rich greenspaces that work for people and nature should be a priority for the incoming Government. We urge them to follow the CCC’s advice by setting an urban greenspace target, accompanied by planning decisions that increase climate resilience and integrated nature-based solutions.