At the council meeting on Tuesday October 15th, High Peak Borough Council will debate a motion to declare a climate emergency. The motion is proposed by Green Party Councillor for Hope Valley, Joanna Collins and seconded by Councillor Jean Todd, Labour councillor for Buxton Central.
Cllr Collins says:
There is a climate emergency and 97% of the world's climate scientist agree that the changes to the climate are caused by humanity. There is no way to avoid the damaging impact of climate change, but if we act decisively we can still avoid catastrophe. I hope this motion will underpin fast and effective action on climate change and the natural environment, and act as a guide for all future activities of the Council.
Declaring a climate emergency must be much more than a symbolic act. If approved, the motion commits the council to achieve carbon neutrality in its own operations and the services it delivers by 2030 and to work with partners to acheive the same result across the High Peak. We have described in detail in previous posts on this blog some of the actions that councils and partners can take to confront the climate and environmental emergency (Green councillors acting on the climate emergency, Climate emergency and Facing the climate emergency with nature's help).
This year, polls have shown a surge in concern among the UK population, with around 85% now saying they are concerned and more than 50% very concerned about climate change. This gives us a great opportunity to involve communities in making the changes needed to combat climate change.
Nearly half of all Councils in Britain have now declared a climate emergency, including those bordering on High Peak in Greater Manchester, Sheffield, Derbyshire Dales and Staffordshire Moorlands.
High Peak must be next and you can help.
Phone, text, or email your Councillors asking them to support the climate emergency motion (Find your councillor's contact details.)
Be at the Octagon, Pavillion Gardens, Buxton at 6.30pm on October 15th to greet councillors as they arrive for the meeting.