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IPPR urges government to follow up quickly on its commitment to place ‘international nature’ at heart of foreign policy

Failure to address decline in international nature could lead to global food shortages, huge economic damage and climate disaster

Report sets out how to put promises into practice and warns UK will lose out unless the government turns its commitment into action

Nature protection and restoration need to be at the heart of UK foreign policy to avoid multiple crises, according to new research from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).

The report says the Foreign Secretary needs to follow through quickly on his recent pledge to make action on the climate and nature crisis a central priority for the FCDO. It sets out why this is so critical, describing the depletion of the natural world as a ‘ticking time bomb’. Failure to act could lead to:

Economy undermined – up to 12 per cent of the UK’s GDP is at risk from the deterioration of the natural environment, and biodiversity loss is in the top three risks to the global economy over the next decade

Global food shortages – falling numbers of pollinators puts 75 per cent of world-leading food crops at risk

Irreversible climate change – protecting and restoring nature accounts for almost a third (30 per cent) of the action needed to deliver the Paris Agreement

The UK is well placed to help deliver ambitious international action on climate and nature challenges: it was the first country to legislate on domestic climate targets; it secured $20bn in international finance for forests at COP26 in Glasgow; and UK diplomats helped lead the global effort to adopt the Global Biodiversity Framework, which protects 30 percent of land and sea.

However, the report says that backtracking by the previous UK government over the past two years has contributed to waning international momentum, and that the world is in a dangerous pause between agreement and action.

The think tank says that the present government only has two parliamentary terms (10 years) to work with other countries to reverse this trend before it is too late. This is because some critical natural systems risk approaching irreversible tipping points. For example, the Amazon risks irreparable harm as deforestation increases drought, potentially transforming swathes of forest into savannah.

The authors of the report spoke to leading experts – including Lord Zac Goldsmith – to discuss what the UK government needs to do. IPPR recommend ministers act in four key areas:

Restoring political leadership. Having appointed an international nature envoy, the government should now set out a global nature strategy, and consider hosting an international summit to press forward on the issue.
Increasing nature finance by delivering on existing commitments, allocating at least half of its next International Climate Finance budget to forest protection, and establishing new mechanisms to scale private finance such as establishing a mechanism for companies using genetic resources to fund conservation.
Tackling the drivers of nature loss by introducing new legislation to ensure that large businesses take nature-related risks seriously, and supporting nature-rich countries’ initiatives to reward sustainable production, through measures such as removing tariffs from environmentally friendly imported goods.
Partnering with other nations by supporting nature rich countries to conserve 30 per cent of land and sea by 2030, reverse deforestation by 2030, and build a sustainable ocean economy.

Laura Chappell, IPPR associate director of international policy, said:

“The loss of nature around the world is a ticking time bomb for us here in the UK. Decreasing global biodiversity, failing ecosystems, and increasing climate change will cause economic, social and political crises at home as well as abroad. The foreign secretary’s commitment to put climate and nature at the heart of the FCDO’s work is laudable, as is his swift announcement of a new international nature envoy role. But the world has no more than a decade to fundamentally change course, and the government needs to follow these actions up quickly.

“The UK can mobilise huge amounts of soft power and money to influence change, but this can’t just be a superficial effort; it must involve practical policies, targeted use of funds, and working with international partners without getting dogged down in bureaucracy.”

ENDS

Laura Chappell, the report’s co-author, is available for interview

CONTACT

David Wastell, Director of News and Communications: 07921 403651 d.wastell@ippr.org

NOTES TO EDITORS

The IPPR paper, Our home: A progressive agenda on international nature by Tom Clements and Laura Chappell will be available for download at: https://www.ippr.org/articles/our-home
Laura Chappell is IPPR’s associate director for international policy. Dr Tom Clements, the report’s co-author, is a consultant to IPPR. He was previously an adviser to DEFRA and FCDO from 2020-2023 and led on the forest and nature outcomes at COP26.