We are asking WSCC council pension funds to commit to divest all their funds from fossil fuel companies. Divestment is the opposite of investment – it means getting rid of stocks, bonds or investment funds that are unethical. More than 50 pension funds globally have now made divestment commitments, moving millions out of the fossil fuel industry. However, despite years of campaigning by local people and motions passed by both Adur & Worthing Borough Councils urging them to divest (https://worthingandadurchamber.co.uk/news-blog/8638924) WSCC pensions will not budge. The West Sussex Local Government Pension Fund, currently responsible for the pension benefits of thousands of us, continues to invest millions in fossil fuel companies. In December 2015 the UK signed up to the Paris Agreement. One of the main aims was to limit global warming to under 2 degrees C. The overriding cause of climate change is CO2 gas emitted from burning fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas). Only 20% of present reserves of fossil fuels can be burnt if we are to keep to the target set in Paris. However, companies such as Exxon, Shell, BP continue to extract existing reserves and pour millions into new projects. The scientific consensus tells us that if we continue on our current course the earth will heat to a level which is beyond that required to sustain life. Heatwaves and wildfires, in the UK and globally, plus the accelerating loss of biodiversity, demonstrate that climate change is already here and is causing the deaths and displacement of millions of people worldwide. David Attenborough said, “What humans do over the next 50 years will determine the fate of all life on the planet.” Please sign the petition to urge WSCC Pensions to divest from Fossil Fuels. [The fossil fuel portfolio could be easily reinvested in green alternatives and get better returns]. (https://www.divest.org.uk/councils/) More: In the UK there are over 30 divestment campaigns targeting local councils and the pension funds they manage. Find more out about the campaign here. https://gofossilfree.org/uk/local-government-guide/ New Government proposals, published on June 18th 2018, are designed to give managers of Britain’s workplace pension schemes new powers to dump shares in oil, gas and coal companies in favour of long-term investment in green and “social impact” opportunities. Pension fund trustees now should have more confidence to divest from fossil fuels and put their cash in green alternatives. As a member of the West Sussex Pension Scheme I urge you to sign our petition to request WSCC to rapidly divest from this industry and invest in technologies and solutions that make a positive contribution to the future of life on earth. Local government Pension Funds are failing to protect themselves from the financial risk of climate. These are the findings of a report in November 2018 (https://cdn.friendsoftheearth.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/Risky-Business-LG-Pension-Funds-Climate-Crisis.pdf) https://gofossilfree.org/divestment/what-is-fossil-fuel-divestment/ https://www.theguardian.com/public-leaders-network/2017/nov/13/southwark-council -pension-fund-divesting-12bn-from-fossil-fuels https://www.unison.org.uk/content/uploads/2018/01/Divest-from-carbon-campaign.pdf Campaign supported by WorthingCAN, XR Worthing, XR Chichester, XR Shoreham, XR Horsham and XR Arun Valley.

The East entrance of Drumpellier Country Park has been closed to cars and unauthorised vehicles for the past few weeks due to the pandemic. As a result, the road and surrounding areas have been much safer and much more enjoyable for children, families, cyclists, joggers, dog walkers and of course the habitual wildlife in the park. The Country Park is an area of natural beauty, which had been spoiled by cars accessing the park via this road. More litter is brought and dropped by car users, exhausts pollute the environment, cars park in passing places, cars park on the road beside the football pitches to collect children from St. Ambrose/Buchanan High and drivers going too fast also pose significant risks to the abovementioned groups. Once lockdown restrictions are gradually eased and people are once again allowed to drive to local nature spots, I passionately believe that visitors to the loch and wider Country Park can and should use the visitor centre car park, which has ample space and is specifically designed to accommodate visitors with cars. There is no valid reason for vehicles other than waste disposal, authorised council vehicles and a park resident's authorised vehicle to access the park via the road entrance at the East. Instead the road at the East entrance to the Country Park should be preserved as a safe environment in which people can be encouraged to continue walking, cycling, running and scooting and in which children and wildlife will be safe.

As lockdown is eased we must ensure the safety of pedestrians and cyclists is the top priority in Winchester’s recovery from COVID-19. Numerous studies have demonstrated that increased pedestrianisation leads to higher footfall meaning that local businesses could also benefit from these measures.* Winchester has some of the narrowest pavements in Hampshire, therefore reallocation of roads for pedestrians and cyclists is the only way to maintain 2 metre physical distancing. In the longer term, these arrangements will also prevent the return of dangerous levels of pollution in our city, reduce CO2 emissions, and encourage high levels of walking and cycling. Please refer to Cycling UK for FAQs: https://tinyurl.com/ycqwsky9 *TfL: https://tinyurl.com/ya8wvy59 ------------- Have you signed our Safer Streets petition but want to do even more? Use our fast, secure form to message your county councillor asking for change too: https://tinyurl.com/y92anpsv

* The development will destroy the environment of one of the remaining green spaces in London not bounded by roads. * It will not be freely accessible to the public: It will be privately run and let out on a pay to play basis and stretch over 80 yards across the common. * There will be a substantial increase car parking and congestion - with the entrance to the common used day and night by a football club who play in a semi-professional league and recruit players from across South London. We ask you to reject this proposal and respect the sanctity of Tooting Common, both for its natural environment and as an area that is open and can be enjoyed by all. NB: The virtual planning meeting will be held at 7:30pm on Tuesday, 19th May, 2020. Details will be issued on: https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?MId=6509&x=1

For our health, for the bio-diversity, for our security, for Environmental issues, for the animals living in this Park, for the Eco-system, and much more! . It is about time that we change this, and for good.

The River Lambourn is one of only 4 chalk streams in the world accorded the highest protection of SSSI and SAC status. We cannot create any more. It is far more important to protect this river than a small piece of greenbelt. Developer, local residents, experts and those supporting our environment want this to happen. There is significant justification for an exception to be made in this case to the planning guidance. There is only one chance to protect the river.

Devon County Council should issue environmental guidance for all towns, parishes and landowners to stop the constant mowing, strimming, flailing and pesticide spraying carried out all over the county in the name of 'tidiness'. Devon County Council should ensure that all Devon hedges, banks and verges are treated as wildlife and wildplant havens and cared for as a precious environmental resource. At first glance, Devon looks green and thriving but the hedges are flailed to extinction, the fields are monocultures of grass, the verges cut indiscriminately. Devon is a largely rural county and has a huge role to play in increasing environmental diversity and preventing the decline and destruction of nature. Most individuals and organisations that own or manage the natural landscape in Devon do so for reasons other than to care for nature. We urgently need strong policy and guidance from the County Council to to prevent the ongoing decline and disappearance of native species. We need strong leadership and sanctions to give nature a chance. The way the natural environment is managed can be so much better, if only we had proper guidance from those who have the power to make this change.

In the last 25 years the UK has lost 75% of flying insects and the vast majority of wildflower meadows. Rewilding areas provides habitat and food for insects, pollinators and local wildlife, and offers areas for families and children to learn more about wildflowers and wildlife. Just 8 Dandelion flowers provide enough nectar for 15,000 bee visits a day. https://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/about-us/news/no-mow-may-how-to-get-ten-times-more-bees-on-your-lockdown-lawn Even small wild areas support declining insect populations. Rewilding also contributes to reaching our zero carbon goals, by taking harmful carbon dioxide from the air and storing it underground. This is a financially prudent environmental move as well, as rewilding saves money on expensive council-funded maintenance costs. Campaign backed by Worthing Climate Action Network and Extinction Rebellion Worthing There is now an update and good news on the area known as Robert's Marine: 'Plan for this space is to let areas of the grass grow long and create a grass maze within it. Have the patch of wild flowers and then some areas of cut grass still because we get quite a few people exercising on that space, dogs running around on it and people picnicking as well. We felt the mix enables all of that to still happen whilst adding a little more wild spaces for nature.'

The Air Traffic Management Bill is designed to accommodate the projected DOUBLING of civil aviation traffic over the next 30 years. Places previously immune to aircraft intrusion, like National Parks and AONBs, will be faced with unacceptable noise levels. We discovered that there is very little in Statute to defend AONBs, so drafted a Private Members Bill outlining the main areas for reform. (The bill wasn't selected)

This is causing some species of coarse fish to become very scarce and disappearing from some of our Rivers/Streams & Canals in the UK. It is also a loophole used by fish thieves who are causing parts of our rivers systems to become baron of some species. We believe that there should also be a small allowance allowed for predator anglers to be able to use only in the water they are caught in as bait.

With increasingly wet winters, river fishing is becoming more and more restricted due to the amount of time the rivers are carrying flood water. The last river season for coarse fish (2019/20) has seen some rivers unfishable for 6 of the available 9 months, and now as flood waters recede, fishing them is banned due to an archaic byelaw which serves no useful purpose.

The National Gallery's Portrait exhibition is due to take place in April in the Ulster Museum sponsored by BP - one of the world's biggest polluters. Climate change is the biggest threat we face. But rather than acting on it, BP is trying to make clean up it's image by sponsoring art exhibitions here in Belfast, while it continues to make huge profits. BP is one of the companies most responsible for the climate crisis. It is the 11th biggest corporate source of greenhouse emissions in history. Late last year The Scottish National Portrait Gallery announced it will no longer stage the exhibition due to BP's involvement. There is no reason why the Ulster Museum can't do the same.