Climate Matters Staffordshire have published a report based on the issues raised at four forums on the climate crisis held across the county in August and September [1].
The forums took place in Leek, Lichfield, Rugeley and
Stoke-on-Trent and debated issues relating to buildings, waste, transport, and
the countryside and were attended by sixty-one people.
In an introduction to the report the organizers write that although
produced by ‘a random selection of
the residents of Staffordshire and Stoke-on -Trent, the issues raised together
with suggested solutions give a snapshot of public opinion and could
potentially be used as a model for consultation in the coming months.’
Several common issues and
solutions were found across all four forums, these included the difficulty of
accessing accurate information, poor communication between government,
businesses, and communities about climate change and a lack of support for
making changes.
Suggested Solutions
included learning from best practice in other parts of the UK and abroad, collaborating
with communities to create solutions and change behaviour, and setting up a
network to bring organizations and communities together to share ideas.
Climate Matters
Staffordshire was set up in 2019 in the wake of councils across the county
passing motions declaring a climate emergency. The group chaired by former
Green Party leader Jonathon Porrit and former local MP Joan Walley aims to
bring together a coalition of local groups and community leaders to develop
solutions.
At the time, the first
forums took place in August a report by the United Nations Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change had issued a stark warning about the harm being done to
the planet by human activity [3].
UN Secretary General
Antonio Guterres described the report as a ‘code red warning’ for humanity,
going on to say that "If we combine forces now, we can avert climate
catastrophe. But, as today's report makes clear, there is no time for delay and
no room for excuses.”
Members of North
Staffs Green Party attended the forum held at Westport Lake in Stoke-on-Trent,
which debated the countryside, food, farming, and nature. They raised issues
including declining biodiversity, the need for more ethical farming methods and
the need to protect green spaces from development.
A spokesperson said:
“we welcome the findings of the four forums and hope they will raise public
awareness of this critical issue ahead of the COP26 summit”.
The UK will host the
COP26 summit in Glasgow between 31st October and 12th
November, the outcomes of this meeting could be the deciding factor in how the
world responds to climate change [4].
Despite hosting the
COP26 summit concerns have been raised about the UK meeting its targets on
climate change. A report published by the Climate Change Committee criticises
the Johnson government for being too slow to follow up on the promises it has
made on tackling climate change [5].
The report calls for
action to be taken in a range of areas, including creating a Net Zero Test
against which all government policies would be evaluated for their
compatibility with climate change targets.
The report authors
write that the government has ‘made historic climate promises in the past year,
for which it deserves credit. However, it has been too slow to follow these
with delivery. This defining year for the UK’s climate credentials has been
marred by uncertainty and delay to a host of new climate strategies. Those that
have emerged have too often missed the mark. With every month of inaction, it
is harder for the UK to get on track.’
Climate Matters
Staffordshire will be hosting a conference on the climate and ecological
crisis, at which local authorities from across the county will present their
climate action plans.
There will also be a
short film presentation and a keynote speech from Dr James Dyke, Senior
Lecturer at the Global Systems Institute at Leicester University.
The conference will
take place on Thursday 14th October, ticketing information can be
found at [2].
[1] https://www.climatemattersstaffordshire.co.uk/reports
[2] https://www.climatemattersstaffordshire.co.uk/projects-3
[3] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-58130705
[4] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-56901261
[5] https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/2021-progress-report-to-parliament/
No comments:
Post a Comment