The time is now: New Forest East for a green recovery

94% of the UK population doesn't want to return to the economy as it was before the pandemic.

Now is the time to make a real difference to the climate - that other big problem that hasn't gone away: this year, parts of Siberia in the Arctic circle have reached 38C (100F).

Remember how wet this winter was? And the devastating Wareham forest fire? These extremes of weather will get worse if we carry on as before the pandemic, and the nature that we all found so essential in lockdown will be more and more threatened.

But it's not all bad news: during the pandemic, the UK's electricity went coal-free for well over two months, smashing the previous record of 18 days, and the longest uninterrupted period since 1882. That kind of improvement could continue even when the country isn't locked down, but only if our politicians do the right thing. We need to invest in clean sources of power, better public transport, protections for Britain's beautiful nature and countryside, and new jobs that will be around well into an uncertain future.

This year, the UK will host the UN Climate Summit, COP26. Let's not embarrass ourselves on the world stage: let us instead lead the world by example and show how to recover in a fair and sustainable way. Let Julian Lewis know that nature and the climate is important to you, and you want to see him representing your views in parliament.