Member of Parliament for Tewkesbury Cameron Thomas has joined the UK’s delegation heading to Columbia for this year’s international Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) COP 16.
The convention seeks to reverse the global decline of nature and habitats, but ecological issues here in Tewkesbury will be top of Cameron’s agenda, not least the impact of sewage pollution on our rivers.
Running from 21 October to 1 November, COP 16 is bringing together delegations from almost 200 countries, focusing on reaching the targets established at COP 15 in 2022.
These targets include the designation of 30% of the planet’s land and oceans as protected areas by 2023; currently less than 1% of the world’s oceans are protected.
Liberal Democrat MP Cameron Thomas is a lifelong conservationist. The sub-aqua Dive Master said: “Many experts believe our planet is currently experiencing its sixth mass-extinction event. Species are currently becoming extinct far more quickly than new ones evolve, owing to rapid changes in the climate, destruction of habitat and pollution.
“Here in Gloucestershire, the River Severn has been so heavily polluted by sewage discharges and agricultural runoff, that it is in danger of becoming ‘ecologically dead’.
“The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries on earth: today we rank at the bottom of the G7 in terms of our remaining biodiversity, and in the bottom 10% of nations globally.
“These urgent issues demand international collaboration, and the UK must apply leadership to such challenges. I am proud to join the UK’s delegation and I will work with our international partners to protect nature and meet our shared commitments.
“Throughout my life I have worked with environmental groups from the UK to South America and it is both an honour and a heavy responsibility to now take Tewkesbury’s voice to the world.”
Cameron Thomas MP has responded to the Government announcing a new review of the water industry, by calling for the regulator Ofwat to be replaced.
