Why is this important?

Rising temperatures, floods, droughts, and burning forests. Climate change is not a future problem, it’s here now. [1]

But the science is clear: if we protect and restore nature, we still have a chance at a healthy future. From planting millions of trees, to protecting and repairing coastal areas - we need to invest in a large-scale restoration plan to help restore our climate. [2]

Right now, the European Commission has put on the table new groundbreaking rules - called the Nature Restoration Law - to protect and restore nature across all EU countries in the next decades. This is our chance to repair nature in Europe, just in time to turn things around for our planet. [3]

But corporations are furious, and fighting back. Their lobbyists are hard at work — hand in hand with conservatives and far-right members of the European Parliament (MEPs) pushing to kill the plan. They believe their profits, not our planet, should be put first. [4]

So, with this Nature Restoration law coming up for a vote we have to push back before time runs out. Progressive MEPs are on our side, but we need a few more to swing the vote in our favour. And we can only win if each of them hears the voice of their constituents, including you, the ones who put them in power and demand accountability.

References:

1. https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/
2. https://wwfeu.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf_factsheet_nature_restoration_climate_web.pdf
3. On June 22, 2022, the European Commission presented a draft regulation aimed at protecting nature and restoring European ecosystems. If adopted, this ambitious regulation will require European Union (EU) Member States to implement restoration measures on at least 20% of European land and sea areas by 2030. By 2050, restoration measures will have to be initiated on all degraded ecosystems in Europe. To achieve this overall objective, the regulation particularly targets ecosystems with the highest potential for carbon elimination and storage: agricultural lands, forests, seas, coastlines, and rivers. The Council of the European Union and the European Parliament have recently started examining the draft law on the restoration of nature. https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/nature-and-biodiversity/nature-restoration-law_en
4. ​https://www.euractiv.com/section/climate-environment/news/lawmakers-split-over-forestry-in-eu-nature-restoration-law/