The Conservative Party’s 2019 general election manifesto was welcomed by The Wildlife Trusts. It committed to addressing the climate and ecological crisis, and pledged to deliver the most ambitious environmental programme of any country on earth.

Fast forward three years, and we’re becoming increasingly disappointed by the growing tally of broken promises. While it is true to say that some progress has been made – the passing of the Environment Act 2021 for example – the rhetoric surrounding the new laws and policy has often masked a lack of real substance and ambition.

The inclusion of a legally-binding 2030 species abundance target within the Act had the potential to be a game-changer for nature’s recovery – but hopes were shattered when the target proposed was so inadequate it would leave nature in a worse position in 20 years’ time than it is now.

Early last year, the Government unveiled its Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMs), an incentive which aimed to deliver a post-Brexit agricultural transition which would reward farmers for managing their land to provide ‘public goods’, such as clean water, increased biodiversity and improved resilience to climate change.

The scheme was intended to support the rural economy while achieving the goals of the 25 Year Environment Plan and helping the UK reach its target of net zero emissions by 2050.

However, in June this year, it emerged that the Government’s commitment to provide a third of its farming budget for Landscape Recovery – one of the three tiers of ELMs which was designed to support farmers in restoring nature across large areas – had all but been abandoned, and would be allocated only a small fraction of its original budget.

The ongoing dilution of environmental commitments by the Government has been brought into even sharper focus as the party selects its new leader – and our next Prime Minister.

The cost of living crisis is of course the most immediate concern for many people - and this is rightly one of the main priorities for the Government currently. But it is alarming to see that policies aimed at tackling climate change and improving the environment are now under threat – because they are being falsely linked to increased living costs.

Holding steady on environmental and decarbonisation commitments will lead to reductions in the cost of living. The UK has some of the least energy efficient housing stock in Europe. Green levies, which fund investment into renewable energy and improving the energy efficiency of buildings, will bring down energy bills in the long run. Creating our own renewable energy here in the UK will mean we are less reliant on the fluctuating prices of imported energy.

Diluting and delaying the environmental incentives for farming will not result in greater food security and lower food costs, as some commentators are suggesting. Continuing to farm the land intensively will only prolong our reliance on imported fertiliser and animal feed. To ensure real food security, tackle climate change and support nature’s recovery, we need swift and sweeping changes in farming and land use, and farmers need to be properly incentivised to do this. Many farmers across the UK are successfully farming using regenerative systems, and find that the reduction in the use of artificial inputs means that these systems can actually be more profitable.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve been working hard to send a message to the Government that it must stop watering down its commitments to the environment. We’ve had face-to-face meetings with two of our local MPs and written to all of them. We’ve also written to local Conservative Associations to ask their members to ensure that the recovery of the natural world is taken seriously by the next PM.

We know that nature is hugely important to people and makes us happier and healthier. Public support for strong environmental policy has never been higher, and our political representatives need to be aware of this.

If you feel the same way, don’t delay – write a note to your local MP and make sure they understand how important the natural world is to you. The broken promises must stop – we need to take urgent action to tackle the climate and ecological crises today.