On Saturday 5 June Nissan donated an electric Nissan Leaf to the Vatican at a ceremony in the Vatican.

His Eminence Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, President of the Governatorate of the Vatican City State, presided over the handover ceremony in the presence of Marco Toro, Managing Director for Nissan Italy; Sally Axworthy, British Ambassador to the Holy See; and Seji Okada, Japanese Ambassador to the Holy See. Nissan’s Sunderland factory joined by video-link.

The Nissan Leaf was produced in Sunderland in the north-east of England. Nissan is committed to producing vehicles sustainably: the production of the Nissan Leaf, as well as the car itself, is expected to reach net zero emissions within two years.

Sally Axworthy, British Ambassador to the Holy See, said:

‘Transitioning to electric vehicles will be an essential part of our collective efforts to keep global temperature rises below 1.5 degrees. In the year in which the UK will host the climate summit, COP26, I am really delighted that the Vatican is greening its vehicle fleet with the help of Nissan. This sets an excellent example for us all.

‘The UK has committed to reach net zero by 2050 and will end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the UK by 2030. The vehicle’s production in Sunderland shows how technology can bring sustainable economic growth and dignified employment’.

Seji Okada, Ambassador of Japan to the Holy See stated:

“The Japanese Prime Minister Suga declared that Japan aims to realise a decarbonised society by reducing greenhouse gas emission to zero as a whole by 2050, and that the Government of Japan will work for the utilisation of decarbonised power sources, such as renewable energy. But, he added, “global decarbonisation cannot be achieved through the efforts of one country alone, it is a challenge that requires the whole international community to act in one”.

As Pope Francis called for urgent action on climate change, it is particularly significant that the Vatican will gradually replace its service vehicles with an all-electric fleet, setting an example for all other countries of the world. The contributions of companies like Nissan will be vital to achieving this aim”.

Note for editors:

• Sunderland plant is Nissan’s central manufacturing hub in Europe. The north-east of England had been a centre for coalmining, shipbuilding and steel, but by the 1980s most of that had gone. Nissan opened in 1986. It is the biggest automotive plant in the UK, producing 500,000 vehicles a year, more than 1500 per day. The factory employs 6,000 people and more than 30,000 rely on the plant for employment. They have made 200,000 Leafs since 2013. They built the UK’s first battery plant on site. The workforce is mainly local.

• At the Climate Ambition Summit in December 2020, Pope Francis committed the Vatican City State to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. As part of this effort, the Vatican are gradually replacing all their combustion engine cars with electric or hybrid vehicles.

• In the run up to COP26, the UK is working with every nation to implement the Paris Agreement on tackling climate change. Key goals are securing global net zero by 2050 and keeping temperature rises below1.5 degrees. To deliver on these targets, countries will need to accelerate the phase-out of coal, curtail deforestation, speed up the switch to electric vehicles and encourage investment in renewables (“Pick the planet”).

• Japanese Prime Minister Suga had declared that Japan will aim to realise a decarbonised society by reducing greenhouse gas emission to zero as a whole by 2050. Prime Minister Suga also stated that towards COP26, Japan intends to accelerate the “virtuous cycle of environment and growth” through innovation, and continue to lead the international community in order to realise the decarbonised society in line with the Paris Agreement.

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• New initiative to get the country planting more trees and flowers launches on World Environment Day
• Drive to build back greener comes ahead of UK hosting global climate summit later this year
• The Wildlife Trusts, Woodland Trust, National Trust and others join the Government’s call to get people, businesses and communities planting and protect nature

A new campaign aimed at inspiring the nation to get planting has been launched today (Saturday 5 June), helping us to build back greener and step up our efforts to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss.

The campaign – backed by green organisations such as The Wildlife Trusts, Woodland Trust, National Trust, Horticultural Trades Association and Royal Horticultural Society – is asking individuals and communities to play their part in helping reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and supporting nature recovery by planting flowers and trees, restoring community spaces and getting out into nature.

Whether it is planting a window box, flexing green fingers out in the garden or sprucing up a community space, the public are encouraged to #PlantForOurPlanet and share their story on digital channels and social media. From planting flowers for pollinators to a tree in a garden, or wider nature activities such as building insect hotels, vegetable patches or simply letting your grass grow, by encouraging more people to get involved in the campaign, everyone can play a part in helping to protect and enhance our natural environment.

This campaign, launched on World Environment Day, forms part of the Government’s efforts to drive action to tackle the biodiversity crisis and work towards nature-based solutions ahead of several major international summits this year, including the G7 (which is being hosted in Cornwall), the upcoming UN Biodiversity Conference (Convention of Biological Diversity COP15), and the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), which will be hosted in Glasgow later this year.

The world has an extraordinary opportunity at COP26 to come together to tackle climate change and reverse biodiversity loss.

Plant For Our Planet is a chance for the public to take part, planting flowers and trees, restoring a community space and getting out into nature.

Through thousands of individual actions, we want to send a simple message – we are in this together for our planet.

Green groups will also be able to nominate examples of outstanding individuals, groups or projects which showcase the benefits of planting and supporting nature – our “Nature Heroes”. These heroes will receive a personal letter from ministers to thank them for their efforts.

Other easy ways to get involved include joining an existing project, such as the National Trust’s ‘Blossom Watch’ or The Wildlife Trusts ‘30 Days Wild’. People can also plant trees through the Woodland Trust’s ‘Big Climate Fightback’.

There are a variety of nature projects you can join. These include:

To get involved and planet for our planet you can download the Plant for our Planet partner pack here.

Today’s announcement builds on plans to boost biodiversity, protect our peatlands and create new woodlands as set out recently by the Environment Secretary. This includes aims to treble woodland creation rates by the end of this Parliament guided by the Government’s new England Trees Action Plan, and aims to halt the decline of nature by amending the Environment Bill to require the Government to set and meet a new legally-binding target on species abundance for 2030.

Hilary McGrady, Director-General of the National Trust, said:

The last year has reminded us how important nature is for our health and wellbeing. But just as we need nature, so nature needs us. And never more urgently than now. At the National Trust, we are establishing 20 million new trees on our land by 2030, including millions of blossoming trees, creating 25,000 hectares of new nature habitat, and restoring peatland across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Together we can make a huge difference, which is why we are delighted to support Defra’s Plant for our Planet campaign today.

Joan Edwards, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at The Wildlife Trusts said:

The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world and so every effort is needed to help wildlife recover. We must tackle the climate and nature crises head-on by deploying bold and ambitious restoration projects on land and sea at a large-scale – as well as through local community-led action. Initiatives like the Government’s Plant for our Planet help everyone to play a part in bringing back nature where they live as are charity challenges such as 30 Days Wild from The Wildlife Trusts, which is running throughout June and asks everyone to do one ‘wild’ thing a day.

Never has the need to restore nature and tackle climate change been more urgent – and people must be part of the solution.

Dr Richard Benwell, CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said:

Our planet is in trouble, but we really can dig ourselves out of this crisis. Each action that adds to our natural world – every bulb, sowing, and sapling – is a step toward restoring our wildlife and beating climate change. This Government initiative to inspire community action could be a tremendous boost, if it comes in conjunction with strong legal protection for sites and species, and new laws to improve the State of Nature. So, spades at the ready, everyone! This is the year to plant the seeds of a greener future.

Sue Biggs, Director General of the Royal Horticultural Society, said:

Plants, gardens, and gardening play a vital role in protecting the planet and help mitigate the increasing threat of climate change and biodiversity loss.

As the UK’s leading gardening charity we continue to support millions of members, gardeners, and visitors in finding ever more sustainable ways to garden and promote nature-based solutions that help combat climate change. I would strongly urge everyone to Plant for our Planet and play their part in making the UK a greener and more beautiful place.

James Barnes, Chairman of the Horticultural Trades Association said:

This initiative is a great way to harness the power of Britain’s gardeners into a movement which puts the benefits of protecting our natural environment to the fore. With three million new gardeners joining since lockdown last year, alongside the 22million who already take part in the country’s biggest hobby, the HTA is urging the great British public to seek advice and planting ideas from garden centres, nurseries and reputable online retailers and plant for the planet.

Further Information:

• To hear more about the campaign, share your activities, or to nominate a “Nature Hero”, please contact plantforourplanet@defra.gov.uk
• To get involved and plant for our planet you can download the Plant for our Planet partner pack here.

Threatened species such as whales, marine turtles and sharks will be better protected thanks to a boost of over £8 million for projects in the UK Overseas Territories, the government has announced today (Saturday 5 June) under plans to tackle the global biodiversity crisis.

The funding will also help protect a number of rare species and vulnerable habitats across the globe from the threats from invasive species.

Over the next three years, 31 projects will receive £8.02 million through the Darwin Plus scheme for conservation of the unique and globally significant environments found in UK Overseas Territories.

Habitats and species set to benefit from funding include:

• Threatened albatross species in the southern Atlantic overseas territories, Tristan da Cunha, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, through improved population monitoring
• A number of species found in Cayman’s Sister Islands will be safeguarded from invasive species such as feral cats and invasive green iguanas
• Anguilla’s shark populations, through increasing knowledge of their habitats and conservation needs, while developing local ownership of their conservation through greater community engagement
• The Ascension Islands’ marine turtles through making improvements to their monitoring programme using innovative modelling techniques and new labour-saving technologies
• Coral reefs in the Indian Ocean by helping small-scale fishers to sustainably manage these habitats on the island of Diego Garcia

International Environment Minister Lord Goldsmith said:

World Environment Day provides us all with a stark reminder of why we need to take urgent action to reverse global biodiversity loss.

The Darwin Plus funding announced today will support the magnificent biodiversity hotspots that make up our Overseas Territories, which are so threatened by climate change. It will restore precious ecosystems, prevent the extinction of some of the world’s most wonderful species, and at the same time transform the lives of the poorest communities.

Over the last decade the Darwin Plus programme has supported over 120 individual projects supporting conservation in marine, terrestrial and freshwater environments. The UK government, as president of the G7 and COP26, is leading the way globally in the fight to tackle climate change and repair the natural world.

Professor E.J. Milner Gulland, Oxford University and Chair of the Darwin Expert Committee and Darwin Plus Advisory Group, said:

The UK’s Overseas Territories are home to some of our most iconic and important threatened biodiversity, as well as rich and productive natural resources. The Darwin Plus projects span the range of biodiversity from wetlands to whales, and addresses issues from controlling invasive thorns to tracking threatened turtles. So I’m really happy that, on World Environment Day, the Darwin Plus fund is supporting the Overseas Territories to conserve their precious biodiversity while also building a sustainable future for people and nature.

Beccy Speight, Chief Executive of the RSPB said:

Our Government has an important role to play as we all work to revive our world, the UK’s Overseas Territories are home to 94% of the plants and animals that are only found on UK soil. But these amazing places are under threat from the nature and climate emergencies.

Failing to act in our Territories would raise the real risk of global extinctions, so this vital funding will help fulfil our responsibilities to protect our precious wildlife, from tropical rainforests in the Caribbean to wind-swept albatross islands in the Southern Ocean. Today’s announcement, plus the UK Government’s additional £1.5m contribution to support our major partnership project to restore Gough Island, a threatened UK World Heritage Site in the South Atlantic recognised as one of the most important seabird islands in the world, will be welcome news to the local community and many individuals who continue to support this vital work.

Last month, the Climate and Environment Ministers of the G7 committed to halting and reversing the loss of biodiversity by 2030. In efforts to tackle the twin challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss, all G7 members also signed up to the global ‘30×30’ initiative to conserve or protect at least 30 per cent of the world’s land and at least 30 per cent of the world’s ocean by 2030, as well as committing to ‘30×30’ nationally.

The funding being announced today builds on the £220 million for biodiversity conservation in developing nations, and the doubling of UK international climate finance, announced by the Prime Minister at the UN General Assembly in 2019.

Today’s announcement forms part of the Government’s commitments to drive international ambition on action to tackle the biodiversity crisis and work towards nature-based solutions ahead of the G7, the upcoming 15th UN Biodiversity Conference of the Parties (Convention of Biological Diversity COP15), and the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) which will be hosted in Glasgow later this year. In the run up to the summit, the UK is focused on four goals to drive progress: securing global net zero, protecting communities and natural habitats from the impacts of climate change, mobilising finance and working together to accelerate action.

A full list of projects, including a number of small schemes, to be supported by the Darwin Plus programme is available on the Darwin Initiative website.