Simon Hoare is the Conservative MP for North Dorset.
Addressing the United Nations in 1989, Margaret Thatcher said: “We do not have a freehold on the Earth, only a full repairing lease.”
As both a scientist and leader, she knew the importance of taking action to protect the environment in order to protect our future. 36 years later, Thatcher’s words are still very pertinent, as is her approach of being led by the data—and not by those who simply shout the loudest.
With scientists warning that global temperatures have reached a staggering 1.6°C above pre-industrial levels, we are seeing a stark acceleration compared to UN predictions made just a few years ago. Whilst scientists hope that temperatures will now fall back for several years, the climate threats we face are growing—and so is the need for a holistic and lasting response.
The world now recognises that even 1.5°C of warming poses significant risks, as highlighted in a landmark 2018 UN report. Following this, our own party’s Net Zero Strategy in 2022 concluded that “above 1.5°C, we risk reaching climatic tipping points, like the melting of arctic permafrost”.
Our current laws are quite simply not fit to tackle this.
With increasingly unpredictable governments across the globe, a conservative response to the threats we face should focus on conserving the planet and allowing nature to thrive. Those swayed by populist rhetoric and being swept up by conspiracy theories should be challenged at every opportunity.
If Conservatives believe in anything, it is about creating an inheritable legacy for our children and their children. Valuing and conserving natural capital is as important as building up financial or asset capital.
Recent weeks have seen devastating flash floods in Wales and across Europe, and horrific scenes in Los Angeles as thousands have their homes and businesses destroyed by wildfires.
We are on the brink of crossing irreversible ‘tipping points’—events that could trigger self-sustaining, catastrophic changes to Earth’s systems. One harrowing example is the Amazon rainforest, which may dry out on our current trajectory.
The good news is that expert study after study shows that taking bold action to restore nature and transition to clean energy will make us all better off. This, of course, does require significant investment, but it is one of the most promising investments we can make. The transition to green energy has unimaginable benefits to human health and in the long-term will benefit businesses and consumers, through cheap, renewable energy.
I am proud to be part of a cross-party group of MPs who are attempting to play our part in building a greener, more sustainable future for Britain. One where our safeguards for nature are prioritised, and our climate plans meet the level of ambition we need today.
Next Friday, I will be voting in the House of Commons in favour of the Climate and Nature Bill, led by Roz Savage MP.
This cross-party Bill puts into action a joined-up approach to protect the climate and nature in tandem. It centres on putting us on a sustainable footing for the future, where we can grow our economy—and do so in harmony with nature—in a way that limits our impact on the planet.
Supported by some 200 MPs across the Commons, 1,200 scientists and more than 1,700 businesses and organisations across the country, the Bill provides a comprehensive, joined-up approach to tackle the climate-nature crisis, and the breadth of cross-party demonstrates that the risks we face are too significant to let party political allegiances get in the way.
In recent days, bizarre assertions on fringe websites have sought to muddy the waters on the Bill, seeking to characterise it as one that will see property and farmland seized. As an MP representing a rural constituency with a thriving agricultural sector myself, this could not be further from the truth. Farmers are stewards of our land, and this Bill will help to prevent impending droughts and floods that could cost our economy billions and ruin the livelihoods of thousands.
Elsewhere, some claim the plans will push up the price of energy. But the Bill is not asking us to make the switch to green energy overnight. We will make a timely transition to more sustainable forms of energy. Imagine a UK with warm, energy-efficient homes; clean air, rivers and seas; quieter, safer streets; where we work with nature to protect us from flooding, and to create thriving, nature-rich ecosystems.
Bold action doesn’t just avert disaster—it can build a fairer, more prosperous future, with happier, healthier communities, and jobs across the board. Taking action now means that we can properly get to grips with tackling the climate and nature threats we face, and protecting the most vulnerable; not only in the UK, but across the world.
As a Climate and Nature Bill co-sponsor alongside my colleague, Sir Roger Gale, I urge all Conservative colleagues to join me at this crucial moment—and vote to progress the Bill on 24 January. I recognise the pressures colleagues face, particularly on Fridays, when constituency demands call. But let’s be clear. Nothing is more fundamental than ensuring a liveable climate and reversing nature’s destruction. Without these, everything else we work for will unravel.
This is our moment, as conservatives, to rise to humanity’s greatest, long-term challenge and secure a future where we can all thrive—and not just survive.
Together, we can set the example the world desperately needs.
Simon Hoare is the Conservative MP for North Dorset.
Addressing the United Nations in 1989, Margaret Thatcher said: “We do not have a freehold on the Earth, only a full repairing lease.”
As both a scientist and leader, she knew the importance of taking action to protect the environment in order to protect our future. 36 years later, Thatcher’s words are still very pertinent, as is her approach of being led by the data—and not by those who simply shout the loudest.
With scientists warning that global temperatures have reached a staggering 1.6°C above pre-industrial levels, we are seeing a stark acceleration compared to UN predictions made just a few years ago. Whilst scientists hope that temperatures will now fall back for several years, the climate threats we face are growing—and so is the need for a holistic and lasting response.
The world now recognises that even 1.5°C of warming poses significant risks, as highlighted in a landmark 2018 UN report. Following this, our own party’s Net Zero Strategy in 2022 concluded that “above 1.5°C, we risk reaching climatic tipping points, like the melting of arctic permafrost”.
Our current laws are quite simply not fit to tackle this.
With increasingly unpredictable governments across the globe, a conservative response to the threats we face should focus on conserving the planet and allowing nature to thrive. Those swayed by populist rhetoric and being swept up by conspiracy theories should be challenged at every opportunity.
If Conservatives believe in anything, it is about creating an inheritable legacy for our children and their children. Valuing and conserving natural capital is as important as building up financial or asset capital.
Recent weeks have seen devastating flash floods in Wales and across Europe, and horrific scenes in Los Angeles as thousands have their homes and businesses destroyed by wildfires.
We are on the brink of crossing irreversible ‘tipping points’—events that could trigger self-sustaining, catastrophic changes to Earth’s systems. One harrowing example is the Amazon rainforest, which may dry out on our current trajectory.
The good news is that expert study after study shows that taking bold action to restore nature and transition to clean energy will make us all better off. This, of course, does require significant investment, but it is one of the most promising investments we can make. The transition to green energy has unimaginable benefits to human health and in the long-term will benefit businesses and consumers, through cheap, renewable energy.
I am proud to be part of a cross-party group of MPs who are attempting to play our part in building a greener, more sustainable future for Britain. One where our safeguards for nature are prioritised, and our climate plans meet the level of ambition we need today.
Next Friday, I will be voting in the House of Commons in favour of the Climate and Nature Bill, led by Roz Savage MP.
This cross-party Bill puts into action a joined-up approach to protect the climate and nature in tandem. It centres on putting us on a sustainable footing for the future, where we can grow our economy—and do so in harmony with nature—in a way that limits our impact on the planet.
Supported by some 200 MPs across the Commons, 1,200 scientists and more than 1,700 businesses and organisations across the country, the Bill provides a comprehensive, joined-up approach to tackle the climate-nature crisis, and the breadth of cross-party demonstrates that the risks we face are too significant to let party political allegiances get in the way.
In recent days, bizarre assertions on fringe websites have sought to muddy the waters on the Bill, seeking to characterise it as one that will see property and farmland seized. As an MP representing a rural constituency with a thriving agricultural sector myself, this could not be further from the truth. Farmers are stewards of our land, and this Bill will help to prevent impending droughts and floods that could cost our economy billions and ruin the livelihoods of thousands.
Elsewhere, some claim the plans will push up the price of energy. But the Bill is not asking us to make the switch to green energy overnight. We will make a timely transition to more sustainable forms of energy. Imagine a UK with warm, energy-efficient homes; clean air, rivers and seas; quieter, safer streets; where we work with nature to protect us from flooding, and to create thriving, nature-rich ecosystems.
Bold action doesn’t just avert disaster—it can build a fairer, more prosperous future, with happier, healthier communities, and jobs across the board. Taking action now means that we can properly get to grips with tackling the climate and nature threats we face, and protecting the most vulnerable; not only in the UK, but across the world.
As a Climate and Nature Bill co-sponsor alongside my colleague, Sir Roger Gale, I urge all Conservative colleagues to join me at this crucial moment—and vote to progress the Bill on 24 January. I recognise the pressures colleagues face, particularly on Fridays, when constituency demands call. But let’s be clear. Nothing is more fundamental than ensuring a liveable climate and reversing nature’s destruction. Without these, everything else we work for will unravel.
This is our moment, as conservatives, to rise to humanity’s greatest, long-term challenge and secure a future where we can all thrive—and not just survive.
Together, we can set the example the world desperately needs.