Tackling deforestation must be at the heart of our response to the climate crisis | Zac Goldsmith

The UK has built a coalition of 100 countries committed to ending the destruction of forests by the end of the decade

• Zac Goldsmith is the UK's international environment minister

This morning, at the all-important Cop26 climate conference in Glasgow, the prime minister is urging world leaders to commit to take radical action to reverse the catastrophic degradation of the world's forests. It is hard to exaggerate the importance of what he is asking.

Put simply, there is no credible response to the climate crisis - or to so many of the biggest challenges we face - that does not involve protecting and restoring nature on a massive scale.

Zac Goldsmith is the UK's international environment minister