More than 200 write to leaders calling for climate change support
More than 200 Shropshire residents have written to their councillor and MP urging them to support a climate emergency bill.
The Shropshire Climate and Ecological Bill Alliance is calling on Salopians concerned about the issue to make their voices heard by flooding the inboxes of councillors and MPs. It comes ahead of a new cross-party motion that is being tabled at Shropshire Council on February 25 in support of the bill.
If councillors vote to support the bill motion, the council’s leadership will be required to write to MPs Daniel Kawczynski, Philip Dunne and Owen Paterson encouraging them to back the bill.
The bill, introduced into parliament as a Private Members Bill by Caroline Lucas of the Green Party in November 2020, has been drawn up by scientists, lawyers and campaigners. It offers a roadmap for the UK to achieve its Paris Agreement targets and keep the increase in average global temperatures under 1.5C.
Shrewsbury resident Jamie Russell, one of the founders of the Shropshire campaign, said: “We’ve been staggered by how many people have sent emails via our website. It’s obvious that many Shropshire residents don’t think the UK is moving fast enough to avoid climate catastrophe.”
The bill currently has the cross-party backing of nearly 100 MPs in parliament, as well as public figures such as the former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, the author Margaret Atwood and organisations including Greenpeace.
Mr Russell added: “The UK government wants us to reach net zero by 2050. A recent poll shows 81 per cent of people in the UK think the climate crisis is a global emergency, the highest level of concern across 50 countries sampled.
“Shropshire Council needs to show leadership on the climate emergency and it needs to recognise the concerns of Shropshire residents.
"In customer service they say that for every one complaint received there are another 26 unhappy people who are remaining silent.
"Shropshire residents are clearly very worried about this issue. If you are one of them then please visit our website and make your voice heard.”
