“The move would create thousands of jobs, a more resilient country and tackle the wildlife and climate crises.”
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Today’s online panel discussion with University of Exeter experts and external practitioners asked:
How do we create a more sustainable, resilient and inclusive society following the COVID pandemic?
Online: Build Back Better – Vision Group for Sidmouth
… is now available to watch – together with a little more background:
Build Back Better: The Coronavirus Recovery Campaign
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There are several specific ‘green’ proposals out there:
Five ways to kickstart a green recovery | theconversation.com
UK public ‘supports green recovery from coronavirus crisis’ | Environment | The Guardian
Energy firms and PwC push government for green recovery investment plan | theenergyst.com
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On Sunday’s edition of Countryfile on BBC One, we were treated to something rather positive:
Namely, a proposal introduced by actor Mark Rylance:
Call for a National Nature Service
With a few more details here:
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‘National nature service’ needed for green recovery in England, groups say
The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, must “seize the day” and create a national nature service to restore wildlife and habitats in England, say a coalition of the country’s biggest green groups. It said the move would create thousands of jobs, a more resilient country and tackle the wildlife and climate crises.
The coalition has drawn up a list of 330 projects that are ready to go, including flower meadows, “tiny forests” in cities and hillside schemes to cut flooding. It said a service to fund the projects and train workers would create 10,000 jobs and be part of a green recovery from the coronavirus pandemic…
“From you, we need a well-funded training and employment programme, investment in a co-designed portfolio of conservation projects to kickstart green recovery, and the bravery to seize the day,” said the coalition of 50 groups.
It includes National Parks England, RSPB, The Wildlife Trusts, Woodland Trust, WWF, Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace, representing millions of members. Others include the Black Environment Network, councils in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, the National Youth Agency and the Nature-Friendly Farming Network.
Sunak is reported to be planning a “green industrial revolution”, with a possible announcement in July. Environment groups, however, fear plans to spend billions on energy and transport infrastructure are overshadowing the role that restoring nature can also play in the post-pandemic recovery. In March, Sunak pledged £640m for a “nature for climate fund” to support tree planting and peatland restoration, which was a Conservative manifesto commitment in the December general election.
A national nature service was supported by a high-level food and farming commission in 2019. Nature has also been shown to improve people’s health and wellbeing…