News / Environment
‘There’s been a lot of talk but little real action from Bristol City Council’
The councillor who proposed the UK’s first climate emergency declaration has called on the government and Bristol City Council to take emergency action in response to the IPCC report which says humanity has just a decade left to make rapid and drastic reductions in greenhouse gases or face widespread climate devastation.
Carla Denyer, the Green Party group’s shadow cabinet member for climate and ecology, said that “global warming is no longer a hypothetical problem for some people in the distant future to solve”.
She said: “Climate change is already here affecting us, and it’s only going to get more extreme if we fail to act. Policymakers cannot afford to keep delaying and dithering.
is needed now More than ever
“But if there’s one glimmer of good news from the IPCC’s report it’s this: it’s still not too late to make a difference. If countries work together and act fast we still can avoid the worst possible outcomes for our planet.”
Denyer added: “We urgently need investment in housing insulation and public transport – a Green New Deal for the UK.”
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Co-shadow cabinet member, Lily Fitzgibbon, said: “Much like the government in Westminster, there’s been a lot of talk but little real action from Bristol City Council.
“In the Labour mayor’s previous term, his party repeatedly blocked Green proposals to tackle the climate emergency; divesting pensions from fossil fuels, funding to retrofit council houses, an annual budget for new cycle infrastructure.
“I hope Bristol will see more engagement with Green ideas from the Labour administration now the evidence is so overwhelming and the stakes are so high.
Bristol’s youngest councillors also called on Marvin Rees to challenge Bristol Airport’s expansion plans.
“This is the biggest climate decision our city and region have faced in decades” Fitzgibbon said.
“If approved the airport’s expansion would generate an extra million tons of CO2 each year, making a mockery of Bristol’s carbon targets.
The airport is currently appealing North Somerset’s decision to reject these plans. Now is a crucial time and Marvin Rees must get off the fence and make a clear statement to the planning inquiry to object to the airport’s proposals.”
Main photo: Green Party
Read more: Campaigners say airport expansion is ‘insane’ following IPCC report
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