Key facts
- Zack Polanski is demanding the UK government release a full, unredacted report on ecosystem collapse.
- The intelligence report links overseas ecosystem collapse to severe food shortages, price rises, migration, political destabilisation, and potential conflict.
- A redacted version of the report was published in January, but the full document remains withheld.
- Green groups have warned of risks to national security, public health, and economic growth due to nature loss.
- The UK is reportedly set to miss its target to restore 30% of nature by 2030.
Zack Polanski, the Green party leader in England, is urging the UK government to publish in full an intelligence report that warns of catastrophic national security consequences stemming from the collapse of overseas ecosystems. Polanski plans to challenge Prime Minister Andy Burnham to release the unredacted document, which reportedly details severe food shortages, price increases, mass migration, political instability, and the potential for armed conflict, including nuclear war, due to the climate crisis and over-exploitation of natural resources.
A redacted 14-page version of the report was released in January, but the government has resisted calls from journalists and MPs to publish the complete findings. Polanski stated that the UK's recent extreme weather should serve as a wake-up call, arguing that corporate greed is prioritized over the survival of the natural world. The report, initially intended for publication last October at an event attended by King Charles, had its release halted by Downing Street.
Concurrently, a coalition of green groups has warned the government that failing to take urgent action to restore nature risks national security, public health, and economic growth. They highlighted that the UK is likely to miss its commitment to restore 30% of nature by 2030, with many protected sites in need of repair due to industrial damage, pollution, and climate change. The groups are advocating for increased funding, stronger legislation, and enforcement to protect natural environments, estimating that an annual investment of approximately £2 billion is required for nature site restoration by 2042.
A Labour spokesperson commented that the current government is the first to seriously consider the risks of climate change and nature loss to food security, economic resilience, and national security, citing actions such as establishing a taskforce on these risks and investing in nature recovery.