HAMPSHIRE and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is among many sending a direct message to Prime Minister Gordon Brown about climate change.

The trusts are urging him to deliver “a positive and far-reaching agreement” at the UN Copenhagen Climate Change Summit taking place this week.

The message, in the form of a large postcard signed by all 47 Wildlife Trusts, reads: “Please secure a positive and far-reaching climate change agreement in Copenhagen – we, and our wildlife, depend upon it.

“Our 47 Wildlife Trusts around the UK, have a combined membership of nearly 800,000. We all care deeply about the future of our natural environment, on land and at sea, especially in a changing climate.

“The impact of climate change on people and the natural environment – upon which we all depend – is predicted to be dramatic. We need to take a positive step towards a legal agreement to reduce greenhouse gases by 40 per cent by 2020. The conference must recognise the role of natural ecosystems, such as forests and peatlands, in storing carbon. This is vital for us all.”

Debbie Tann, chief executive of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, which has more than 28,000 members said: “We are putting far too much pressure on our planet, which is already having devastating impacts on both people and the natural world that we depend on.”

“We know this is a global problem, but the UK Government is in a position to take a lead on this.

“We would urge the Government to commit to a 40 per cent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2020.”