With the dust now somewhat settled post-December’s election, there is a huge opportunity to align with the government’s Climate Change and Environment Manifesto and work together to reach the goal of reaching Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 with investment in clean energy solutions and green infrastructure to reduce carbon emissions and pollution.
And we believe that wildflowers have an important part to play in the protection of our natural environment.
The UK has cut carbon emissions by more than any other similarly developed country but there is still much more work to be done. Of particular interest to us is the government’s commitment within its Manifesto to setting up new partnerships to tackle deforestation and to protect vital landscapes and wildlife corridors.
Wildflowers are crucial to our ecosystem and provide a huge array of biodiverse benefits. Their importance in providing nectar sources is well known, with wildflower meadows providing an important habitat for pollinators. Pollinators such as wild bumble bees, moths, butterflies, wasps, beetles, hoverflies as well as honey bees have faced serious difficulty in recent times with habitat loss, pesticides and the depletion of nectar sources.
The role that wildflowers have to play in relation to pollution mitigation is also key to this discussion. Recent studies have shown the favourable benefits that wildflowers provide in terms of mitigating pollution, with evidence suggesting that wildflowers can physically lock in harmful particulates from exhaust emissions.
And with regulatory issues high on the agenda, wildflowers also offer the opportunity to meet regulations such as Biodiverse Net Gain (refer to our recent blog on this subject) and BREEAM standards.
As the Government continue to work towards their stated Net Zero goal, we will continue to champion the importance of wildflowers as they play their part in enhancing biodiversity and reducing emissions, while also increasing the nation’s wellbeing.
The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) advises the government on emissions targets and reports to Parliament on progress made in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. For further information, visit their website > https://www.theccc.org.uk/.