The nature emergency

Woods and forests absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, making the air cleaner and creating a barrier between people and harmful emissions. Plus, they offer shade, acting as ‘natural air conditioners’, that reduce high temperatures and pollution. Find out more about tackling air pollution with trees and get tips to prevent forest fires. 

If you have a garden or green space, you can plant trees and flowers, and leave nettles and weeds to support biodiversity, while creating habitats for animals that depend on them for food and shelter. Consider hedgehog homes, bird boxes and bee hotels, create twig and leaf piles to support insects, and provide water sources for little creatures. You can also add nectar plants to your garden or balcony to help pollinators like bees and butterflies. And remember to keep on top of litter, which can harm wildlife. 

If you have a garden, a balcony or a window box, or you’re involved in a community garden or local nature partnership, there are many things you can do. Opt for grass rather than concrete or anything artificial, and avoid using chemicals like pesticides that can kill butterflies, moths and pollinating insects. Find out more about alternatives to toxic chemicals for the garden. Use peat-free soil and, if you have a lawn, leave areas of long grass to increase biodiversity. Read more here.

Take green energy actions, like turning off taps and the lights when you don’t need them, using energy-efficient appliances and installing water-saving devices. This will help conserve natural resources and save money on your water and energy bills. Consider assessing the energy efficiency of your home and, if you are able, consider energy-efficiency measures.

Make your journeys greener by using public transport where you can or walking to school to reduce air and noise pollution. Consider hiring (or buying) an e-bike, share your journey with colleagues or friends, and learn more about electric vehicles.

Did you know that the production of everyday products – including cars, clothes and food – destroys natural habitats? Although we may not see this on our doorstep, it is happening around the world. Reduce your waste and single-use plastics, repair and reuse what you already have. Once things reach the end of their life, recycle to avoid over-production and keep the sea and soil cleaner and safer for plants and animals. Recycling at work or at school is also a great way to protect wildlife. 

Avoid food waste by planning meals in advance and only buying what you need, then recycle or compost inedible waste (like bones or peel). You can also try to eat more sustainably-sourced, in-season fruit and vegetables to your diet – this avoids harmful emissions from food transportation and production.

Wales’ wildlife is in decline, with one in six species at risk of extinction. Animals are disappearing as their habitats are destroyed, by clearing space to grow things that we overconsume. Find out more about why habitat loss is a threat to biodiversity. 

Biodiversity is important in offsetting carbon emissions. Offsetting involves permanently removing greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere, usually through creating or restoring habitats which absorb emissions such as trees, peatlands and seagrasses.  

Our activities, including cutting down forests, over exploiting resources and polluting the sea, soil and air release harmful emissions that warm the planet. This also causes extreme weather; like flooding and drought which can have a devastating impact on ecosystems and communities.

Climate change can affect our health, wellbeing and safety – as it disrupts food systems, worsens air quality and changes the way infectious diseases are spread, as well as increasing the risk of extreme weather-related deaths. As well as this, spending time in nature benefits our mental and physical wellbeing.

If we continue to pollute the soil and sea, destroy the habitats of animals and overexploit natural resources, ecosystems will collapse. As we depend on the natural world for food, water and clean air, it will be much harder to find the resources that we need.