WWF - For a living planet

Alongside our regular meetings with MPs, WWF often holds higher profile events in Parliament to inform politicians of our work and to persuade them to act on the environment. Parliamentary events are an excellent opportunity to gather a group of interested MPs together on a certain subject area and discuss how to influence political change.

Party conferences are also a valuable opportunity to catch up with contacts, meet ministers and shadow spokespeople and gather political intelligence about forthcoming decisions. WWF usually attends the three main conferences, hosting fringe events and organising key meetings.

When the Earth ran dry: Do we demand more water than we have?

WWF-UK produced a film that provides a useful introduction to a fascinating debate on how precious freshwater is to a wide range of UK citizens. We showed the film at each of the main political party conferences in 2008, to highlight our call for better management of fresh water across the UK.

The film offers a unique snapshot of the many ways in which water may contribute to, or dominate, our lives and livelihoods. It features people ranging from a brewer who relies on clean water to produce a good quality pint; an author inspired by the unique chalkstreams near his home; a victim of severe flooding; and two swimmers who take a daily dip in their local river.

Population growth, poor water management and extreme weather events can all have serious consequences for the health of our freshwater ecosystems. Climate change will only exacerbate these problems. It is becoming clear that fresh water is not just an environmental concern, but also a crucial political issue in the UK.

The film was well received by audiences including the Secretary of State for the Environment Hilary Benn MP, Conservative Environment Secretary Peter Ainsworth MP, and the Liberal Democrat Environment Minister Martin Horwood MP