Are we headed for dustbowl Britain – and what could that mean for our wildlife and our food?

New figures show Britain has lost a third of its most threatened wildlife in recent years – harming both our natural heritage and our ability to produce food. This is the most pressing political issue of our time.

By Darren Baxter

Published: July 31, 2018, 2:07 pm

Image: It's not just hedgehogs who are hit by hotter, drier summers. Credit: Denis Bourez/Flickr, CC 2.0

This summer’s heatwave is a sign of the new normal. Scientists have long predicted that a warmer climate will lead to an increased frequency of hotter weather. As the global death toll rises and forests burn in the Arctic Circle, it should be clear that we have irrevocably changed our planet.

But in the intensity of the coverage focussed on the heatwave, we must recognise that the damage we are doing to our planet is threatening the preconditions on which humans thrive.

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