The government's plan is to delay the talks scheduled for November 2020 until May next year. The Climate is Number 1 emergency when we start to rebuild after Covid 19. The IPCC, the body of the world's leading experts, said in 2018 that catastrophic climate breakdown is inevitable within this decade unIess we change course and start to bring down carbon emissions dramatically. In addition, having the talks online would avoid the damaging effects of delegates travelling.

Most of us dislike the idea of waste and to see plants being binned before they have had the chance of even being planted out seems to be not just a waste but a sad loss to our communities and a disaster to the nursery people who have planted and nurtured them. Most of these could be put to good use to brighten up our parks and other community spaces and the effort of planting them out would help people to deal with the effects of the Covid-19 epidemic. In addition if done as a community effort it would be a good memorial throughout the summer months, and beyond. It is essential that we quickly get as many signatures as we can. Time is running out for these plants. The annuals are probably already lost, but the perennials, shrubs and bushes could still be saved and grace our public areas for several years.

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.

Sir David Attenborough has urged governments to ban deep sea mining, following a study warning of “potentially disastrous” risks to the ocean’s life-support systems if it goes ahead. The study, by Fauna and Flora International (FFI), warns proposed plans to mine the seabed could cause significant loss of biodiversity, disruption of the ocean’s “biological pump”, and the loss of microbes important for storing carbon. The process, requiring machines operating thousands of metres under the sea, could also create plumes of sediment that smother areas far from the mining sites and kill wildlife. Dozens of exploratory licences, two of which are sponsored by the UK, have already been granted for huge tracts of the sea bed, ahead of a race to mine commercially for ores and minerals such as copper, used in mobile phones and batteries. But the rules to govern the responsible exploitation of this global resource are not finalised – they are expected to be completed at a meeting in July at the UN International Seabed Authority. Source: Guardian.co.uk

An increase in Nuclear waste dumping could be catastrophic for Scotland.

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.

As a community we should be objecting to this proposal due to several factors which include - the safety of the children who play in this area with the increase in vehicular movement. - an increase in noise and pollution next to the 3g sports facilities and skate park. - the loss of green space used for public events such as the shows, fireworks, circus etc. - increase in traffic flow over the Victoria bridge causing more congestion. - potential of traffic self diverting causing a rat race through the residential area. - adding to the surface water run off in an area already susceptible to flooding - loss of green space which is beneficial to mental health and well being. - potential damage to the surrounding trees and wildlife. So please as a community help us fight against this proposal and save our green space at whittinghame drive, a space used by many, from children, to dog walkers and families. Let's stop this car park that will lead to the changes to our historic town centre, which could ruin people's businesses. Businesses which right now are thriving.

The world summit on climate change COP 26 is happening in Britain in November this year. After 8 years of research and planning everything is in place to build a breakwater with turbines in it at Swansea Bay. http://www.tidallagoonpower.com/projects/swansea-bay/ Tidal Energy is zero carbon, simple and reliable will last for at least 120 years and breakwaters protect against rising sea levels. In comparison with nuclear costs are minimal. Government says offshore wind is cheaper, but that is not a reason not to invest and do both when climate is at stake. In fact, wind was judged by government to be 'uneconomical' when first created. Private fundraising is needed to make this happen before they lose their licence to build in June 2020. Ideally I would like to find an Environmental Charity who I could give money to in order to invest in them despite all the odds and also get press involved.

Catastrophic flooding is rapidly increasing due to climate change. Building defences & piling up sandbags is a short term measure that does nothing to tackle the cause, & reducing carbon emissions, however fast we might do it, is too slow a process to help people being flooded now. But reforesting catchment areas can do both things at once. Many of our uplands are kept as short grass or grouse moor, because its been profitable for landowners to do so. Rain that falls on these areas runs very quickly down to the lowlands, all at once. But trees, & their roots & associated fungi & microorganisms, soak up water & slow its passage, reducing peak flood levels & making rivers flow more evenly. And planting trees also soaks up the carbon dioxide thats causing the problem, as well as healing our damaged local ecosystems. Trees aren't incompatible with farming, but crops are different, & yields may be lower, so landowners need help & encouragement to make the change. This isn't an alternative to flood barriers, or reducing emissions. Its one of several things we need to do all at once to clear up the mess we've created- & we can do it, with the right legislation, without anyone having to sacrifice anything & with good results visible in just a few years!

We would like Essex County Council to know that the people of Colchester are desperate to address the air quality and traffic problem in the town - but we need to give people a clean, effective and affordable alternative to car travel and this can be it. Please put all of your effort into making this happen! We know how dangerous and damaging to people's lives and health poor air quality is. Clean Air Colchester is a hub of general and local information about how air quality affects us all right here in Colchester - https://www.cleanaircolchester.org Why Colchester? Our town would be a perfect place to set up this scheme. We have a very active community made up of many groups and individuals who are very concerned about our residents' health as well as our environment and have been campaigning for better air quality and traffic solution for a long time. Colchester Borough Council is also currently implementing a DEFRA-funded awareness raising and behaviour change project (the only one in the country), awarded as a result of the obvious need and interest locally. Should Colchester be chosen for this scheme, the impacts and transformative effects could be recorded through testing and video testimonies recorded by local filmmakers and campaigners to show the positive impact that moving from polluting buses to an electric system can have. As the oldest Roman town in Britain, Colchester has many narrow roads in the town centre. The buildings flank our roads to form a canyon-like environment which can trap air pollutants, meaning that pedestrians, residents and road users end up breathing in dangerous levels of air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and fine particulate matter. There are four areas in Colchester that exceed established air quality objectives. Testing shows air pollution levels in excess of legal limits (40 mg/m3). As the town is developed and spreads at an unprecedented rate, we need clean public transport options to replace the dirty old buses that currently belch out toxic pollution. Please put Colchester forward for this scheme and help us to transform our beautiful town and inspire national change!

So we can take back some pride in our surroundings, everywhere looks so run down and dismal. Its a issue nationally, but no-one to pinpoint in government as they don't accept responsibility for their actions these days!

The hospital, for decades used by the local NHS trust under the name The Royal National Hospital For Rheumatic Diseases, has been sold to a Singapore investment company called Fragrance Group, who's plan for it include a massive 138 ft extension which will blot out the sky to the tennants of nearby flats. It will also bring more traffic into an already choked city, and do nothing to improve the city's severe deficit in available homes to rent