Dræyk van der Hørn hopes Moray Council's declaration of a Nature Emergency will unite the local authority and community in action on climate change and biodiversity loss

A FORRES Moray Councillor who is passionate about the environment has mixed feelings about the local authority’s latest step towards becoming carbon neutral.

Encouraged by a motion brought by Councillor Dræyk van der Hørn (Forres, Green), the council has declared a ‘Nature Emergency’ –recognising wildlife’s intrinsic value to society and highlighting the urgent need to aid its restoration to achieve climate targets.

Cllr van der Hørn said: “It’s great that the council has backed this motion but I am saddened that we need to declare a nature emergency!

“However, the declaration sends a clear message about the collective will of the council, showing leadership.

“The proof of it will of course be in the pudding – councillors, officers and other employees all have different skill sets.

“I am fortunate to have a background in ecological systems so it’s clear to me what this emergency is, but others do not and may not have a full understanding yet.”

The local authority has carbon literacy training which relates to the climate change strategy, encouraging councillors and officers to be informed on the importance of net zero.

The declaration means that staff employed by the council should now all become aware of its focus which should inform decisions and actions.

“It is also a call for a radical rethink in departments,” said Cllr van der Hørn.

“We must be wary of sliding back into a business-as-usual approach which can happen when we find ourselves in perma-crisis and what seems like competing issues such as the cost of living, war, inequality, health and wellness.

“These might be considered symptoms of two of the main drivers: the climate and nature emergencies.”

The declaration could also affect funding applications so the impact on nature will have greater scrutiny.

Moray Council made a Climate Emergency Declaration in June 2019, which included a target to become carbon neutral by 2030.

Cllr van der Hørn said: “The climate emergency focuses on net zero and the impact of our warming erratic climate.

“Climate is affected by the nature crisis.

“Ultimately climate and nature emergency are two sides of the same coin - the impact humans are having on the planet that threaten our very survival.”

Moray councillors also welcomed the Scottish Government’s Biodiversity Strategy, which brings statutory targets for public bodies to meet the challenges of the nature crisis.

Cllr van der Horn said: “We await more details on how to implement it. It has the right words but I want to see action.

“For example, it is clear that councils and partners need access to experts but how do we achieve this when one of our partners, NatureScot, has only one entomologist for the whole of Scotland?

“How can we monitor soil health and its impact on food production if we don’t have the experts to advise and monitor it?”

Moray Council has written to COSLA to request funding.

“To protect what we have before we hit a tipping point of ecosystem collapse,” explained cllr van der Horn. “That would have devastating consequences for our food supply, air and water quality, and ability to live on this planet.

“Partners are anyone who lives on this planet. It cuts across every area of life and my concern is that we do not fully recognise that.”