Alderney Wildlife Trust Warns Climate Change Poses Risk to Channel Islands’ Quality of Life

A wildlife organization has issued a warning that climate change threatens the quality of life for people residing in the Channel Islands and states that action is necessary. The Alderney Wildlife Trust indicated that consistent unstable weather, including drought and rain, could have “huge implications” for biodiversity, soil, drinking water, and air quality. Roland Gauvin, the Trust’s manager, cautioned that the “quality of life” in the Channel Islands could be impacted if “cohesive and concretive action” is not undertaken. Both the governments of Guernsey and Jersey have made climate pledges to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Mr. Gauvin said: “As islands we will be exposed to some of the more significant effects like weather. “We always think about sea rise and sea temperature change which are both dramatic and scary things.”Weather change, consistent unstable weather, more drought, more rain have huge implications for the Channel Islands. “We are small places and we need to manage our response effectively given tight budgets and huge problems facing us.” Mr. Gauvin also stated: “The increase in invasive species, the arrival of things like Asian hornets which have a dramatic effect on pollinator populations, not just honey bees but across the board. “Our agricultural team has cleared 40 nests this year at real expense. “If we can stop the arrivals of invasive species, or adjust our islands to manage them, we have a much better economic future and a more stable biodiversity. “Going for a walk on a Guernsey beach, walking through the woodlands of Jersey or Sark. Those are all real experiences of life in the Channel Islands that are all under threat if we don’t take cohesive and concretive action.” On Thursday, Guernsey’s government announced it was on track to meet its climate targets. In August, Jersey’s government reported it was making good progress in fulfilling its climate commitments. Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook. Follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk.Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.