The government’s delay in publishing its national security assessment on biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse – which was finally issued last week, more than three months later than planned – is inexcusable, not least because much of the content is already out of date (Biodiversity collapse threatens UK security, intelligence chiefs warn, 20 January).
The latest global tipping points report, published by Exeter University in October, revealed that we have already reached the first of many Earth system tipping points – the widespread dieback of warm-water coral reefs – which will cause catastrophic harm without urgent action. The irreversible melting of polar ice sheets, the collapse of key ocean currents and the dieback of the Amazon rainforest are next in line, with devastating risks for people and nature.
The government’s report, however, is right to highlight the enormous risk to countries such as the UK from ecosystem collapse in other parts of the world – not just through accelerated climate chaos but through disruption to supply chains and the potential for food insecurity. What it fails to say is that countries such as the UK are helping to drive ecosystem collapse beyond our borders through our financial investment and the commodities we import – the Amazon region being a case in point.
It is therefore beyond belief that the UK government, despite this knowledge, has failed to invest in the Tropical Forest Forever Facility, a vital new international mechanism to protect tropical forests that it helped to set up, failed to end investments that drive ecosystem loss, and failed to legislate to prohibit the imports that drive deforestation. The science and evidence are clear. The national security implications are clear. The solutions are clear. There is absolutely no justification to delay political action.
Dr Mike Barrett
Chief scientific adviser, WWF-UK
Dr Steven R Smith
Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter
• This assessment from the government’s intelligence chiefs on global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and national security is stark, but its warning must not be drowned out by global politics. Ecosystem collapse is already under way, and our lack of preparedness is deeply worrying. Although the security agenda is dominated by President Trump’s territorial ambitions, the breakdown of nature is not a side issue that can be buried behind headlines. It’s a national security threat and should be treated with the same seriousness as any military risk.
The government must not shy away from this report. Instead, this moment should be seized to redefine the government’s mission; one that tackles climate change and biodiversity loss in order to protect the public and deliver tangible, everyday benefits.
Restoring nature at home and abroad, and taking adaptation seriously, can cut through to the public in an era of division and political uncertainty. We face a world in which flooding, droughts and wildfires are already affecting daily life, from disrupted commutes to homes destroyed. Yet this moment also presents an opportunity to improve the lives of people across the UK, showing how tackling the combined climate and nature crisis can deliver real benefits not only in the future, but here and now. The threat is clear. When will we get serious about the solution?
Olivia Blake MP
Chair, Climate and Nature Crisis Caucus
