Talking to politicians about nature and climate

Over half of all Members of Parliament (MPs) who were elected in the 2024 General Election were new to the role. This means there are a lot of new decision-makers who haven't yet got much experience of the climate and nature issues that you care about. That means now is the perfect time to meet them in person to start that relationship. 

We've put together some tools to help you talk to your representatives about nature and climate. From how to contact your MP to building confidence around meeting up, you will find lots of examples, tips, guidance and support here.

UK Government

Contacting your MP is the one of the first steps in getting to know local decision-makers. There are several ways you can get in touch:

Find your MP

Alyn and Deeside: Mark Tami - Labour

Bangor Aberconwy: Claire Hughes - Labour

Clwyd East: Becky Gittins - Labour

Clwyd North: Gill German - Labour

Dwyfor Meirionnydd: Liz Saville Roberts - Plaid Cymru

Wrexham: Andrew Ranger - Labour

Ynys Mon: Llinos Medi - Plaid Cymru

Ideally, all MPs will host a ‘nature surgery’ in their first 100 days in their new role, and Wildlife Trusts are encouraging MPs to do this. A 'nature surgery' means dedicating some time in their constituency to meet with local people to specifically discuss wildlife and climate issues and opportunities. Please urge your MP to consider holding a nature surgery, include this ask in your own emails and letters!

Wildlife Trusts can help to set up or host these surgeries locally if MPs would like some support.

Welsh Government

Here in Wales a wide range of environmental and nature conservation matters are decided by the Senedd so you can also contact your Member of the Senedd (MS):

Contact your MS 

Whether it is an MP, MS or a Councilor or someone else in a different important role, confidence is key to having a great conversation.

The Nextdoor Nature Hub is a handy resource on how to feel confident when talking to decision-makers:

Nextdoor Nature Hub

When contacting MPs, it's easy to focus on issues but don't forget to also talk about opportunities, and solutions! It’s helpful to have a real-life example of an issue in your local area, and what you feel a solution could be.

The Wildlife Trusts ran an online workshop in 2023 around how to recognise the common ground there is between what you care about, and what your MP cares about. The exercise in this workshop may be helpful to you - check it out!  The workshop is in the context of farming, but the method of connecting with your MP is similar across all themes:

Watch the workshop

Frances Cattanach, CEO, North Wales Wildlife Trust shares a few words of encouragement:

"Shockingly, 1 in 6 species in Britain is at risk of extinction and the UK is now one of the most nature depleted countries on the planet. Throughout the election campaign, it became clear that people know that our natural world is in crisis and want politicians to make bold and ambitious commitments to reverse the decline. People demonstrated this with their feet - over 60,000 people marched through London at the end of the campaign urging faster action to ‘restore nature now’.

North Wales Wildlife Trust looks forward to working closely with MPs to restore nature and people’s access to it across North Wales and to working in partnership with the new government to deliver on the clear mandate they have to tackle the nature and climate crisis.

In particular, the Wildlife Trust would be delighted to work with MPs to progress action in Parliament to restore nature in the following five areas:

1. Deliver outstanding commitments the last government failed to deliver, including banning the sale of carbon storing peat and license the re-introduction of beavers.
2. Support Labour’s pledge to review the ‘Environmental Improvement Plan’ so it can achieve our legally binding target to halt nature’s decline by the end of the decade and deliver on our international commitments. 
3. Ensure that the planning system addresses the housing, nature and climate crises together, getting Britain building nature-rich communities across the country.
4. Stop river pollution from water companies and agricultural sources and recognise the value of nature in restoring our rivers.
5. Support nature-friendly farming by getting the agricultural transition back on track and securing the UK’s long-term food security."

Disability and Politics

We know that engaging with politicians is not always as accessible as it should be. It’s important that everyone has the opportunity to connect with their elected officials, so we have aimed to provide the most straightforward guidance. However, we know that these barriers can be different for everyone. You can find out more about this from the Sense research at the link below.

If you are physically unable to contact your MP, you could ask a family member, a friend, or your carer to contact them on your behalf. If you are unable to visit your MP, you can contact them via email or request a phone conversation instead.

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