Farming and rural communities are already suffering the effects of wetter winters, more storms, high winds and shifting seasons. As sea levels rise, we’re likely to see dramatic further changes which will have altered our landscapes across Cheshire forever.
Our high-carbon economy, based on roads and airport expansion, and energy-wasting buildings, needs to make way for low-carbon, carefully planned development. We have been championing this kind of development for many years. We’re already seeing what will happen if we do not make the switch. We can still halt further destruction, but we need to take action immediately.
But there’s good news: the countryside can provide many of the solutions.
CPRE promotes planting more trees and hedgerows, taking better care of our soils and restoring peatlands. These actually suck carbon from the air and store it in the ground. And we’re calling on government to speed up the move to renewable energy and to set a target date for phasing fossil fuels out altogether.