Chris Churchman, co-founder of Churchman Thornhill Finch, has now left the practice to launch a not-for-profit aimed at raising public awareness on the value of nature in offsetting the climate crisis.

Cquester is being established with a new website, and a panel of like-minded specialists – from farmers and funders to economists and environmental scientists – will be drawn together. It will act as a think tank to generate debate about the future of the UK and its role in reducing the world’s carbon footprint.

Churchman hopes Cquester will raise awareness, inform policy and drive change around areas such as land use becoming “smarter and less damaging”.

“Trees, but more so soil, are vast depositories of historically stored carbon. Undisturbed, this carbon remains safely stored away; stripped and exposed to air it becomes a major source of carbon emissions. Ninety percent of the UK and 99% of the planet’s land mass still remains green and devoid of built form, so it stands to reason that unbuilt land will hold much of our carbon and much of the answer to our climate crisis. And yet, despite broad acceptance that enhanced soil health can offset circa 30% of all carbon emissions, the voices for better management of this vital resource are silent, this priceless commodity is undervalued and overlooked,” says Churchman.

After engaging in this area for the last three years, Churchman says that the UK’s land model is “broken” and “driven by short term financial interests,” adding that “our long-term national wealth is best-served if we start to consider our planning around climate resilience and climate change in a far more holistic way.”

Hear Chris Churchman speak on the ‘Building for the Future: Creating Sustainable Urban Developments’ as part of a panel at FutureScape on Tuesday 21 November at 10am.