The Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP

Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor, and Secretary of State for Justice

8th March 2022

Dear Dominic,

I am writing to you regarding the Government’s consultation on revising the Human Rights Act and replacing it with a new Bill of Rights. I am wholly opposed to such a move. As a strong supporter of basic and universal human rights, I believe that there should be a common standard for human rights, and a “British Bill of Rights” could threaten the very nature of these fundamental principles.  Rather, I think we should be strengthening protection for our human rights and recognising a new right of access to nature.

The world is in the midst of a climate and ecological emergency, with the UN warning that one million species are at risk of extinction and the WWF reporting that wildlife populations have fallen by 68 percent since 1970. Domestically, the picture is equally concerning with over 40 percent of species seeing a decline in their populations and 15 percent of species now threatened with extinction. Climate change, urbanisation, pollution, poor woodland management and intensive agriculture are all putting pressure on species and collectively driving biodiversity loss.

Yet in conjunction with this ecological crisis, we are also facing a crisis of knowledge, with children today spending less time in nature than previous generations. It is not surprising therefore that young people have an increasingly limited understanding of the world around them, with a 2019 study revealing that half of UK children were unable to identify brambles, bluebells and stinging nettles. It is for this reason that I have championed a Natural History GCSE, to help foster a genuine enthusiasm for the natural world and encourage the next generation of naturalists. I have recently met with the Schools’ Minister about the GCSE, and his Department are considering proposals from the OCR exam board.

As you may be aware, there is also a clear inequality in access to nature, with people from black and ethnic minority backgrounds being twice as likely to live in neighbourhoods without access to nature-rich spaces and 2.7 million people in the UK having no publicly accessible green space within easy walking distance from their home. It is essential that urgent steps are taken to close this gap and ensure that every community is able to access nature.

The IPCC’S Sixth Assessment Report on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, launched last week, demonstrated once again the importance of protecting and restoring nature if we are to address the interconnected climate and ecological crises, and preserve a liveable planet for future generations. As Inger Andersen, the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, said “nature can be our saviour, but only if we save it first”.

There is also a growing body of evidence demonstrating the importance of access to nature for physical and mental health, with a 2019 study finding that spending at least 120 minutes in nature a week was associated with positive health and wellbeing, in comparison with no contact with nature. The importance of access to nature was particularly highlighted during the Covid-19 pandemic when the use of parks and public green spaces increased. The People and Nature Survey for England, which sought to understand the perspectives of children and young people in relation to nature during Covid-19, found than eight in ten of surveyed children said that being in nature made them very happy, and that seventy percent wanted to spend more time outdoors with friends in the future.

Establishing a right to access nature would have enormous benefits for individuals and wider society. Firstly, it would help to deliver on the Government’s commitment in the 25 Year Environment Plan to open up the mental and physical health benefits of the natural world, and in doing so would help to improve public health and wellbeing and reduce pressure on the National Health Service.

Secondly, it would help to strengthen communities’ connection to nature whilst tackling racial and social inequalities in access. New research also reveals that 85 percent of people in nature-deprived areas say more natural space would improve their quality of life.

And finally, enshrining access to nature as a human right would help to improve the public’s understanding, knowledge and love of nature, and in doing so build a greater commitment to protecting our natural world and addressing this climate and ecological crises.

I hope you will consider the need for a new right to access nature and please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.

Best wishes, Caroline