Nature 2030 last week (23 August) announced the shortlist for the inaugural Political Purpose Awards – with Caroline Lucas MP amongst those who received the highest number of nominations. The Green MP is nominated in both the ‘Habitats, Biodiversity and Green Spaces’ and ‘Green Energy and Renewables’ categories.
Green peer Baroness Jenny Jones is shortlisted in the ‘Pollution, Waste and Air’ category.
The awards will take place in September in the House of Lords and recognise UK politicians who have worked to overcome environmental issues in the last 12 months.
Nominees have been selected from the House of Commons and House of Lords, the Devolved Assemblies, and includes metro mayors. Other politicians who received the most nominations include London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Zac Goldsmith.
Alongside five specific categories, Nature 2030 will honour one politician with a lifetime achievement award.
The shortlist was agreed upon during a consulting process with representatives from NGOs including Greenpeace, Oceana, CPRE and Born Free Foundation, environment campaigners and journalists.
The judging panel for the final awards include, amongst others, Dominic Dyer, Chair of Nature 2030 and veteran wildlife campaigner; Will McCallum, Joint Executive Director at Greenpeace UK; and Sara Vaughan, Environmental journalist and campaigner.
Dyer commented: “The shortlist for this year’s awards showcases some of the UK’s hardest working and most dedicated politicians, who have each gone above and beyond their roles to campaign for important environmental issues.
“By highlighting the fantastic work of these politicians we hope to inspire their present and future colleagues to step up and follow their lead by working hard on environmental issues.”
Nature 2030 says it aims to bring together environmentalists, campaigners, influencers, politicians, businesses and individuals to find solutions to the pressures facing global nature.
Launched in 2019 by Ben Fogel, the campaign is a long-term, 10-year project aiming to disrupt the ‘silo culture’ that hampers humanity’s efforts to protect nature.
This year, Nature 2030 has focused on working with local councils on rewilding initiatives, as well as promoting the rewilding of road verges in the UK to increase biodiversity. A particular area of focus will be on protecting flower and plant life to decrease the current extinction rate.
