National Trust

Heat, drought and fire: how extreme weather pushed nature to its limits in 2025

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/dec/29/extreme-weather-climate-change-2025-national-trust

The effects of a huge wildfire on Abergwesyn Common, mid Wales. Habitats for many species such as reptiles and birds were destroyed. Photograph: Chris Smith/National Trust

National Trust says these are ‘alarm signals we cannot ignore’ as climate breakdown puts pressure on wildlife

Extremes of weather have pushed nature to its limits in 2025, putting wildlife, plants and landscapes under severe pressure, an annual audit of flora and fauna has concluded.

Bookended by storms Éowyn and Bram, the UK experienced a sun-soaked spring and summer, resulting in fierce heath and moorland fires, followed by autumn floods.

The National Trust, which provides a snapshot of how the weather is hitting wildlife every Christmas, described it as a rollercoaster of conditions that tested nature’s resilience like never before in modern times.

Ben McCarthy, the head of nature conservation at the charity, said: “Heat, drought and fire are the defining headlines of 2025.

“Extremes in weather is nothing new, but the compounded impact of several drought years in a short period – 2018, 2022 and now 2025 – is putting untold strain on habitats and making life even more difficult for wildlife. These are alarm signals we cannot ignore, and we need to work faster, smarter and in a more joined-up way.”

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/dec/29/extreme-weather-climate-change-2025-national-trust

Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.
Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.
Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Elon Musk urges you to be a Fascist like him, says that you can ignore facts and reality then.
Elon Musk urges you to be a Fascist like him, says that you can ignore facts and reality then.
Continue ReadingHeat, drought and fire: how extreme weather pushed nature to its limits in 2025

Thousands march in London to urge leaders to tackle wildlife crisis

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https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/22/thousands-march-london-urge-leaders-tackle-uk-wildlife-crisis

Thousands of people marched through central London to urge political leaders to take more decisive action in tackling the UK’s wildlife crisis.

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Demonstrators descended on the capital wearing glittery outfits, elaborate animal costumes and intricate face paint. Protesters were calm but the placards they held up revealed an undercurrent of frustration and anger. One read: “We have been swimming in shit.” There were also chants of “less faeces more species”.

The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, with one in six species in Britain at risk of extinction.

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A total of 350 environmental groups came together to pressure the government to act more robustly and decisively against the biodiversity crisis. Charities including the National Trust, the Wildlife Trusts, the RSPB and Friends of the Earth stood side by side with direct action groups such as Just Stop Oil, Extinction Rebellion and Animal Rising.

Henry Swithinbank from Surfers Against Sewage. Photograph: Sophia Evans/The Observer

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Article continues at https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/22/thousands-march-london-urge-leaders-tackle-uk-wildlife-crisis

Continue ReadingThousands march in London to urge leaders to tackle wildlife crisis

National Trust warns of climate change ‘chaos’ for UK wildlife  

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https://leftfootforward.org/2023/12/national-trust-warns-of-climate-change-chaos-for-uk-wildlife/

Changes in climate and unpredictable weather patterns are causing “chaos” for nature, the National Trust has warned, as it calls on politicians to prioritise tackling the climate and nature crisis ahead of the elections.

At the end of what is predicted to be the warmest year on record, the governing body of protected sites is “sounding the alarm” for UK wildlife in its audit report which has laid out an extensive list of species affected by climate change in 2023.

Warmer year-round temperatures have affected the traditional seasonal shifts, which has had a serious knock-on effect for flora and fauna across the country, the National Trust has highlighted.

From low rainfall causing the river Derwent in the supposedly wettest area of England to dry out for the third consecutive summer, to storm Babet and storm Ciaran battering parts of the country with flooding, the extremes in weather are having serious consequences on habitat and wildlife.

https://leftfootforward.org/2023/12/national-trust-warns-of-climate-change-chaos-for-uk-wildlife/

Continue ReadingNational Trust warns of climate change ‘chaos’ for UK wildlife  

Attempted right-wing takeover of National Trust backed by Nigel Farage fails!

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The anti-woke group, Restore Trust, had launched a renewed campaign to win seats on the Trust’s council this year after failing in their attempts last year, and this time they had the likes of Farage, along with the right-wing press backing them. 

An attempt by a right-wing group to take over the National Trust, the UK’s largest charity, has failed after the candidates backed by the likes of Nigel Farage and Jacob Rees-Mogg, failed to secure a place on the National Trust’s council in this year’s elections.

The anti-woke group, Restore Trust, had launched a renewed campaign to win seats on the Trust’s council this year after failing in their attempts last year, and this time they had the likes of Farage, along with the right-wing press backing them. 

Why do the National Trust’s elections matter? Because what was at stake was the future not only of the UK’s largest charity but also one which owns more than 1,300 farms, 775 miles of coastline and 250,000 hectares of land, making it Britain’s largest private landowner. The right recognises the importance of an institution like the National Trust, and did all it could in the council elections to help its candidates.

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https://leftfootforward.org/2023/11/attempted-right-wing-takeover-of-national-trust-backed-by-nigel-farage-fails/

Continue ReadingAttempted right-wing takeover of National Trust backed by Nigel Farage fails!

Nigel Farage turns attention to right-wing capture of National Trust

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https://leftfootforward.org/2023/09/nigel-farage-turns-attention-to-right-wing-capture-of-national-trust/

Flytipped rubbish. Image: Graham Robson, CC Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/
Flytipped rubbish. Image: Graham Robson, CC Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

The Restore Trust has a new list of candidates for the upcoming council elections and, this time, they’ve been endorsed by Nigel Farage.

Arch Brexiteer Nigel Farage has a new target in his sights: The National Trust. The former UKIP leader has now thrown his weight behind a renewed attempt by anti-woke activists to capture the Trust, which owns more than 1,300 farms, 775 miles of coastline and 250,000 hectares of land, making it Britain’s largest private landowner.

In October 2021, the charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation warned of an ideological campaign being waged against it by self-styled ‘anti-woke insurgents’ belonging to Restore Trust (RT). Last year’s AGM saw the Trust subjected to a well-coordinated campaign by RT.

The Restore Trust campaign began in 2021, in the wake of the publication of a report by the National Trust that highlighted connections between 93 of its historic places and slavery. The dossier of sites linked to ‘colonialism and slavery’ and included Winston Churchill’s former family home, citing the former prime minister’s role in the Bengal famine and his opposition to Indian independence. RT took exception to the report claiming it “presents a strongly negative view of Britain, and which does not properly represent the scholarly consensus.”

Now the RT has a new list of candidates for the upcoming council elections and, this time, they’ve been endorsed by Nigel Farage, who is a family friend of one of the candidates. Earlier this month, seven-time failed parliamentary candidate Nigel Farage said: “I hope that Restore Trust knocks a bit of common sense into what was once the great National Trust.”

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https://leftfootforward.org/2023/09/nigel-farage-turns-attention-to-right-wing-capture-of-national-trust/

Continue ReadingNigel Farage turns attention to right-wing capture of National Trust