We may be up to our eyeballs with worrying environmental issues to deal with on dry land, but let's not forget that two thirds of the earth is covered by the deep blue sea.
Lately newspapers have been full of stories about the threat of extinction to sharks, the lack of protection for dolphins and the decline in fortunes of the majestic bluefin tuna, hunted to critical levels to fill the menus of upmarket sushi restaurants.
The story has even made it onto the big screen with the cinema release of Charles Clover's documentary film End of the Line which has forced many people to sit up and take notice of the devastating impact of over fishing.
It's easy to overlook the environmental impact we have on our oceans because as a landlubber species devoid of fins and gills be don't spend an enormous amount of our time in the briny. In fact we've been wandering with our feet firmly on dry land ignoring the plight of our seas for far too long.
But fear not, because with your help we can do something to make a difference.
The Marine Bill is a chance for the UK government to put legislation in place to protect our seas and if you want to become one of the foot soldiers of our Make the Marine Bill Count Campaign then click here and you'll find everything you'll need to know to help you put pressure on your local MP.
Long line fishing kills 100,000 albatrosses every year and these gigantic masters of the sea are heading for serious trouble if something isn't done. You can find out more at the Save the Albatross page and get involved in the campaign.
There are many wonders and mysteries lurking in the world's oceans. But if we don't take advantage of the momentum which has recently begun to pick up pace to make a real change now, we could be sailing blindly into very treacherous waters.
Responding to today’s statement by the Prime Minister on plans for an international deal on climate change, Ruth Davis, the RSPB’s Head of Climate Change Policy, said:
“Today’s statement on climate finance has at last broken the conspiracy of silence surrounding the issue in the EU. Although a £100 billion is far short of the ambition required, Gordon Brown has given us fresh hope our leaders will find the courage to act.
“Money to support emissions cuts in the developing world and to help people there adapt to climate change is also crucial in getting an international deal.
“We welcome the Prime Minister’s recognition of the critical role played by tropical forests and look forward to action on the promise to explore forest bonds as a way to fund forest protection.
“It’s also good to hear the UK are considering a range of new ways to raise money internationally, including through shipping and aviation.”
Today saw the launch of the Government’s consultation on the future of coal in Britain.
This is a big issue because coal is the bad boy of climate change. Most of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today has come from burning the stuff and it accounts for about half of global emissions each year.
As far as we are concerned, climate change is the biggest threat to life on Earth and we are already seeing its impacts on our wildlife.
Warmer waters in the North Sea have led to a fall in the number of the sand eels eaten by many of our seabirds. This in turn has led to starvation in seabird colonies and a crash in populations.
The Government wants to keep a lid on climate change but also needs to keep the lights on and it believes coal will have to do some of the work.
In looking for an answer to this conundrum, it has pinned its hopes on carbon capture and storage or CCS, which traps and stores the carbon released by burning coal deep underground.
Under the Government’s proposals, new coal-fired power stations would only be built if they captured a ‘substantial proportion’ of their emissions. Once CCS technology was proven to work, they would have to upgrade and capture all their emissions.
There is a potential snag here, which you may have spotted. No one actually knows if CCS will work at a commercial scale. It should. In theory. But no one knows for sure. The Government wants four demonstration projects set up and is proceeding on the assumption these will have proved CCS works by 2020.
Let’s hope so.
In the meantime, the RSPB’s view is that requiring all new coal plants to have a limited amount of CCS is not enough.
Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Ed Milliband, has shown his willingness to face up to the coal problem by scrapping plans for 10 new coal plants with no CCS at all. The question now is whether he can finish the job.
First off, that means getting the demonstration programme right. Public money should be spent wisely.
If as planned, E.on's new Kingsnorth power station in Kent only captures a quarter of its emissions, then it will be pumping out twice as much carbon a year as the whole of Nepal, with its population of 30 million.
There is no excuse for that, CCS demo or no. Public money would be better spent on new plants which can capture all of their emissions from the start or on fitting CCS to plants which would be running anyway - reducing emissions rather than increasing them.
And if CCS isn't commercially viable by 2020? Our climate and our wildlife cannot be allowed to pay the price of such failure. Right now, the Government are planning to delay a decision on what to do with all the coal plants, which could by then be chugging away.
Climate change isn't a problem you can punt into the long grass. We need certainty now that, with or without CCS, emissions from coal will be ruled out by 2025.
In April, Mr Miliband told the Commons “the era of unabated coal is over,” which sounded like the start of a health care plan for the climate. Today's consultation shows us that such a plan is still possible, but there is a very real possibility we could end up with nothing more than a sticking plaster.
The RSPB isn’t just about birds.
That’s a message that we’ve been trying to tell in a lots of different ways recently - the latest is all tied in with out new garden survey event: Make Your Nature Count.
Don’t get us wrong, we love birds. They’re the reason we’re here. They are why we get up in the morning and they’re what keep us awake when we go to bed at night (quite literally when we’re out surveying the nocturnal corncrake).
But as anyone who loves wildlife knows, no species exists in isolation. Birds feed on plants, bugs or small mammals - and they all rely on habitats from farmland and woodland to rivers and seas. Birds are a big, beautiful and very important cog in a wider ecological machine that keeps our natural world fizzing and vibrant with life.
So, enough of the preachy stuff - what’s the reason for this big sloppy wildlife love-in?
Well many of you will be well aware of our Big Garden Birdwatch event which takes place every spring and sees the nation heading out into their gardens to tell us all about the starlings, song thrushes, greenfinches and long tailed tits who visit their bird tables and nest boxes.
Now with the launch of Big Garden Birdwatch’s sister event Make Your Nature Count this week we have been asking people to head out into their gardens with pen and paper handy once again - but for the first time we are asking people to tell us about all kinds of creatures from frogs and toads to foxes and hedgehogs.
The data has started to come through thick and fast and one of the most surprising results is the number of people who have been visited by badgers. Early statistics from the survey suggest that one in ten people has seen a badger in their garden. And they’re just the ones they’ve managed to see - imagine how many more brush past our flower beds and veggie patches while we’re asleep in our beds!
Since the bear and the wolf became extinct on our shores many years ago, the badger has enjoyed the lofty status of Britain’s largest wild carnivore. So the fact that so many of us comes into regular contact with them on our doorstep is truly remarkable.
The RSPB was set up in 1889 to protect birds whose feathers were being used to adorn ladies hats. But 120 years on and we’re big enough to admit that some of the UK’s most amazing wildlife doesn’t have any feathers at all.