Declare a Climate Emergency

Campaigns (10)

• Newcastle upon Tyne
  

  Declare a Climate Emergency

  There is a Climate Emergency and Newcastle City Council’s Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan is dangerously outdated, having been last published in 2010. The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report this autumn warned that humanity has just 11 years left to take emergency action in order to prevent catastrophic climate breakdown due to global warming greater than 1.5°C. Above this, the risks to humanity from floods, droughts, extreme heat and growing poverty become much greater, with far worse impacts in the UK and on hundreds of millions more people across the globe. At present, the world is on course for 3°C of warming – this will be catastrophic for humanity, risking the collapse of civilisation. The Climate Change Act committed the UK to 80% cuts in greenhouse gases by 2050, but to meet this target and the UK’s obligations under the Paris Agreement requires far stronger action from local as well as national government. Newcastle Council have not updated nor publicly reported on progress with their 2010 Climate Change Action Plan nor Declaration on Climate Change. In 2014, Newcastle Council became a signatory of Mayors Adapt, the European Commission’s initiative on preparing for climate change, under which they are obligated to report on progress every two years but have not done so. Since then, the urgency of the situation has redoubled. Our council must do more to protect the population of Newcastle from catastrophic climate breakdown and to report on progress to this end. As a leader in the North and one of the UK’s Core Cities, Newcastle City Council must follow the examples of Bristol, London, Manchester and other local authorities and lead the way to a fossil-free Northern Powerhouse and UK.

  3,050 of 4,000 Signatures

  Created by Clare Andrews
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  Councils in Derbyshire- declare a Climate Emergency!

  There is global consensus that climate change poses significant risk to our health, our economy, our environment, and endangers the wellbeing of future generations. Scientific evidence clearly demonstrates that we have no more than 12 years to limit a climate catastrophe and even locally, here in Derbyshire, we are dealing with significant challenges closely linked to a changing climate. These include extreme weather events, severe impacts to Derbyshire’s rich flora and fauna, and threats to food production and supply. Communities across Derby and Derbyshire are becoming frustrated by governments that are unwilling to take the urgent steps needed, to deal with these issues. Humanity’s future depends on today’s bold and brave leaders to put traditional political differences aside and make the necessary decisions now in order to safeguard the environment, our future and those of generations to come.

  2,388 of 3,000 Signatures

  Created by Peter Robinson
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  Suffolk County Council - ACT NOW!

  1. Construction of the Northern Bypass requires development across an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and could cost in the region of £1 billion.[1] £8 million has been wasted on the scrapped Upper Orwell Crossings project.[2] We don't have time/money to waste on building more roads. 2. SCC’s pension committee invests in Shell[3], one of 25 entities identified by the Carbon Majors Report as responsible for 51% of all greenhouse gas emissions since climate change was officially recognised.[4] By 1988 Shell knew, or should have known, of the destabilising effects of its products[5], but nonetheless expanded, while renewables saw relatively little investment. 3. Verges must be managed to promote birds, insects and plants, which are essential components of the natural systems supporting life. There are nearly half a million kilometres of rural road verge in the UK – that's equivalent to half our remaining flower-rich grasslands and meadows [6] and is a vital refuge for bees, butterflies and birds. Improper management annihilates wildflowers and the habitat and food these areas could provide to wildlife. Testing found British rivers to be contaminated with insecticides and revealed the River Waveney on the Suffolk/Norfolk Border to be the worst polluted in the UK, exceeding the acute harm level for a month.[7] Developments which destroy remaining habitat are often being allowed. All of this contributes to a dangerous situation in which life is being wiped out. 4. The air in Suffolk is so toxic that it is breaking the law.[8] Air pollution is recognised as a contributing factor in the onset of heart disease, lung conditions and cancer.[9] Figures reveal the emergency hospital admission rate for asthmatic children in Suffolk to be higher than the national average.[10] Modelling has estimated that across Ipswich in one year air pollution was responsible for the equivalent of 63 excess deaths.[11] The annual health cost to society of the impacts of particulate matter alone throughout the UK is estimated at around £16 billion.[12] Air quality needs to be dealt with through measures in line with urgently halting emissions, such as improving public transport, enabling safe bicycle travel, introducing car-free zones and supporting facilities that reduce people's need to travel, such as local village shops. 5. The Suffolk Coast & Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is a stunning landscape including Ramsar protected wetlands, sites of special scientific interest, and the renowned Minsmere Nature Reserve which is one of the most important wildlife sites in Europe.[13] This area must remain protected. 6. Emissions need to stop urgently — so new homes should be zero/low emission. 7. Citizens’ Assemblies – representative samples of people selected at random from the population, coming together to examine evidence, challenge the experts and hear what various interest groups have to say – have been deployed to deal with controversial issues from law and order to reduced fossil fuel use. Taking the debate about our future outside a parliamentary bubble and into the community has proved successful and Citizens' Assemblies are being established throughout the UK from Scotland[14] to Lambeth Council[15]. A situation exists where for at least 10 years Ipswich has had illegal levels of pollution. Given the serious health implications of this for the people of Suffolk, particularly children and older people, a Citizen's Assembly is urgently needed here. References: 1. "Are we ready to pay the true price to build new by pass north of Ipswich?". EADT. https://www.eadt.co.uk/ea-life/ipswich-northern-by-pass-row-1-5918511. (7 March 2019) 2. "Upper Orwell Crossing: Ipswich bridge plan scrapped after £8m spent." BBC. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-46948086. (21 January 2019) 3. "Council invests millions in fossil fuel firm despite aim to be 'greenest county'" EADT. https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/suffolk-county-council-quizzed-on-royal-dutch-shell-investment-1-5961456. (27 March 2019) 4. Carbon Majors Report 2017. CDP Worldwide. (July 2017) 5. "Shell predicted dangers of climate change in 1980s and knew fossil fuel industry was responsible" The Independent (8 April 2018) 6. “The Good Verge Guide” Plantlife. https://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/our-work/publications/good-verge-guide-different-approach-managing-our-waysides-and-verges. (June 2016) 7. "Heavy Neonicotinoid Insecticide Contamination Damaging British Rivers". Buglife. https://www.buglife.org.uk/news-and-events/news/heavy-neonicotinoid-insecticide-contamination-damaging-british-rivers. (12 December 2017) 8. "East England towns and cities have illegal NO2 levels”. BBC. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-35458600. (1 March 2016) 9. The health impacts of poor air quality. www.parliament.uk. https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvfru/433/43308.htm. (15 March 2018) 10. "Campaign urges Suffolk parents to take asthma in children seriously to avoid hospital admissions". Ipswich Star. https://www.ipswichstar.co.uk/news/campaign-urges-suffolk-parents-to-take-asthma-in-children-seriously-to-avoid-hospital-admissions-1-5397084. (16 February 2018) 11. Public Health England (2014) 12. Defra. Valuing the Overall Impacts of Air Pollution. (2010) 13. Awarded Areas in UK. Council of Europe. https://www.coe.int/en/web/bern-convention/united-kingdom. (2019) 14. "Plans underway to create new Citizens' Assembly in Scotland". The Scotsman. https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/plans-underway-to-create-new-citizens-assembly-in-scotland-1-4947736. 14 June 2019) “Citizens Assemble! Lambeth Council to empower residents to guide the response to climate emergency”. Brixton Buzz. www.brixtonbuzz.com/2019/06/citizens-assemble-lambeth-council-to-empower-residents-to-guide-the-response-to-the-climate-emergency/ (14 June 2019) Photo - Covehithe marshes © www.snthomas.co.uk

  2,232 of 3,000 Signatures

  Created by Helen Bridgeman
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  Liverpool & Merseyside: Declare Climate Emergency

  In declaring a climate emergency, they would follow the lead of both Parliament and more than fifty councils around the country. This declaration should include a pledge to make the city zero carbon by 2030, a commitment to green municipal energy generation and distribution, and ensure that there is properly democratic citizen representation in the development of all aspects of the city's climate justice programme. Bold climate action needs to be taken for the well-being of current and future generations, both locally and worldwide, and to ensure that the fragile balance in valuable ecosystems is maintained. Implementing this strategy could generate thousands of climate jobs in Merseyside. This call for action is made in the light of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, published in October 2018, that concluded that humanity has 11 years for “ambitious action from national and sub-national authorities, civil society, the private sector, indigenous peoples and local communities” to deliver the “rapid and far reaching transitions in land, energy, industry, buildings, transport, and cities” needed to avoid tipping point. We are a group of Liverpool climate activists who want to work with all those on Merseyside that wish to see Climate Emergency declared and urgent implementation of these actions.

  1,886 of 2,000 Signatures

  Created by Clara Paillard
• Southampton
  

  Southampton City Council - Officially Declare a Climate Emergency

  We are asking Southampton City Council to join dozens of other local authorities across the country including cities as diverse as Bristol, Manchester and Leicester to declare a 'Climate Emergency'. By doing this, and crucially backing it up with action, it sends a message to Southampton's citizens, the country and the world, that our councillors acknowledge the scale of the threat of climate change and are going to do everything in their powers to mitigate against it. On 15 February 2019, at the YouthStrike4Climate in Central Southampton, Councillor Hammond told the children of our city, 'No ifs, no buts, we face a climate emergency'. Recently, council members told members of local environmental groups that detailing the specifics of climate change may be too scary to put into public language. We don't feel this is good enough and ask that they tell the truth. The time has come to put the importance of the environment as our home, and the need for its protection for our survival, before anything else. Not doing so, fails the population of our city. The council have set out a blueprint for a green charter for the city which commits to carbon neutrality by 2030. We applaud this commitment but the scope of carbon emissions to be reduced needs further definition as per our second point and we suggest 2025 would be better to aim for as 2030 is the ultimate deadline to prevent a global temperature rise of more than 1.5°C. The IPCC’s recent Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C, describes the enormous harm that a 2°C rise is likely to cause compared to a 1.5°C rise, and told us that limiting Global Warming to 1.5°C may still be possible with ambitious action from national and sub-national authorities, civil society, the private sector, indigenous peoples and local communities. If you would like to live in a greener, healthier and more sustainable city - and if you want Councillors to make decisions that support our health, protect our livelihoods, homes and children's future - then please sign this petition. If you would like peace of mind knowing that the next generation - and all generations to come - have a bright and safe future without the threat of climate change then please sign this petition. We can still avoid the climate catastrophe if those at the top, our City Council, change how they make decisions for our city. Supportive Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_QmTg-SXD8dc9PfaxEWIe-PiJgnOZLK1p6UMBh8X0AA/edit?usp=sharing

  1,713 of 2,000 Signatures

  Created by Extinction Rebellion
• Eastleigh
  

  Please Declare a Climate Emergency

  We have less than 11 years to take urgent action to limit global warming to 1.5°C or we risk catastrophic and irreversible runaway climate change; this was the stark warning from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report Global Warming of 1.5°C. Humans have already caused approximately 1.0°C of warming, the devastating impacts of which have been seen around the world in the form of reduction of sea-ice in the Arctic, loss of coral reefs and extreme weather events. Warming greater than 1.5°C will result in grave consequences for our local and global environment. Rising sea levels and uninhabitable areas will displace millions of people worldwide. Shifting weather patterns, heightened risks of extreme weather events such as floods and droughts and the demise of insect species will result in global famine, water shortages and soil infertility. But it’s not too late. The IPCC report says that limiting Global Warming to 1.5°C may still be possible - but it will require ambitious action from national and sub-national authorities, civil society, the private sector and local communities.

  628 of 800 Signatures

  Created by Laura Palin
• Orkney
  

  Declare a Climate Emergency - Orkney

  Humans have already caused irreversible climate change and ecological devastation. The impacts of which are being felt around the world. Global temperatures have already increased by 1.1 degree Celsius from pre-industrial levels. Atmospheric CO2 levels are above 400 parts per million (ppm). This far exceeds the 350ppm deemed to be a safe level for humanity and all the other species that we co-exist with and depend on; In order to reduce the chance of runaway global warming and limit the effects of climate breakdown, and ecocide, it is imperative that we as a species reduce our CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) emissions from their current 6.5 tonnes per person per year to 1 tonne as soon as possible, and live within the resource means of our planet.; Councils around the world are responding by declaring a ‘Climate Emergency’ and committing resources to address this emergency and Orkney is in a unique position to contribute to cutting emissions through its leading role in developing renewable energy. The full text of a motion that we will ask the Council to pass will be published on the Extinction Rebellion Facebook page.

  317 of 400 Signatures

  Created by George Vickers
• Barry
  

  Climate Emergency - Time for Action!

  There is now a global consensus that climate change poses significant risk to our health, our economy, our environment, our biodiversity and endangers the well being of future generations. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has released a vital report on the state of the world's climate. They have warned that if the planet warms by 1.5 degrees there would be some devastating consequences, such as the loss of most coral reefs, and increased extreme weather such as heatwaves and floods. But given that the planet is currently heading for a truly catastrophic 3-4 degrees warming, it requires all our elected representatives to make an urgent and radical shift to change the way our society and economy is organised. We are only too aware that Barry and the wider Vale of Glamorgan are coastal communities and as such are extremely vulnerable to sea level rises. Barry Action for Nature also fully realises that all its local conservation work by its volunteers will mean nothing if action is not taken to avert climate change. We call on all our elected representatives to put their political differences aside and to work together to achieve the change we need in order to protect people and wildlife.

  161 of 200 Signatures

  Created by Barry Green Party
• Newport
  

  Declare a Climate Emergency in Newport

  All governments (UK, Wales and local) have a duty to limit the negative impacts of climate breakdown, and local governments that recognise this should not wait for their national governments to change their policies. It is important for the residents of Newport that our council commits to carbon neutrality as quickly as possible. Humans have already caused irreversible climate change, the impacts of which are being felt around the world. Global temperatures have already increased by 1 degree Celsius from pre-industrial levels. Atmospheric CO2 levels are above 400 parts per million (ppm). This far exceeds the 350 ppm deemed to be a safe level for humanity; In order to reduce the chance of runaway global warming and limit the effects of climate breakdown, it is imperative that we as a species reduce our CO2eq (carbon equivalent) emissions from their current 6.5 tonnes per person per year to less than 2 tonnes as soon as possible; Individuals cannot be expected to make this reduction on their own. Society needs to change its laws, taxation, infrastructure, etc., to make low carbon living easier and the new norm; Cities are uniquely placed to lead the world in reducing carbon emissions, as they are in many ways easier to decarbonise than rural areas – for example because of their capacity for heat networks and mass transit; The consequences of global temperature rising above 1.5°C are so severe that preventing this from happening must be humanity’s number one priority. Here in Newport we need to be working to protect our city from the effects of flooding that are made more severe by rising temperatures. Bold climate action can deliver economic benefits in terms of new jobs, economic savings and market opportunities (as well as improved well-being for people worldwide and in Newport). We the undersigned want to see Newport Council declare a climate emergency, and question why the council haven't declared one already giving the severity of our risk.

  136 of 200 Signatures

  Created by Amelia Womack
• Fareham
  

  Fareham Boro - please declare Climate Emergency

  We have less than 11 years to take urgent action to limit global warming to 1.5°C or we risk catastrophic and irreversible runaway climate change; this was the stark warning from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report “Global Warming of 1.5°C”. Humans have already caused approximately 1.0°C of warming, the devastating impacts of which have been seen around the world in the form of reduction of sea-ice in the Arctic, loss of coral reefs and extreme weather events. Many scientists agree that warming greater than 1.5°C will result in grave consequences for our global environment. It will impact us locally too. The price of food will rise significantly, there will be more weather extremes, and water shortages. It’s not too late to limit the problems. But it will require ambitious action from national and sub-national authorities, civil society, the private sector and local communities.

  100 of 200 Signatures

  Created by Martin Palethorpe