In June 2023, two members of the public attended the Leeds City Council Climate Emergency Advisory Committee open forum. The open forum allows members of the public five minutes to speak about matters relating to the “climate crisis.”
Below are excerpts from the open forum where Suzanne and Trudie
questioned the thinking that underpins policymaking and informed
councillors of the wider implications of the measures being pursued by
the council.
Suzanne and Trudie presented information to the
Leeds City Council that demonstrated the “climate emergency” plans being
considered have been long in the making and how far-reaching their
impact will be if they are implemented.
“The amount of
information available in relation to net zero, the climate emergency and
the plan to make Leeds carbon neutral by 2030 – which is just six and a
half years away – is enormous,” Suzanne began. “Do you know there is no
consensus on what a climate emergency is? Do you also know that the UK
government has not actually declared a climate emergency?”
The idea of a ”climate emergency” in the UK was an approval of a motion put forward by Jeremy Corbyn in 2019, there was no vote taken on the subject, Suzanne explained.
In May 2019, then leader of the opposition Corbyn gave a speech in parliament:
Today
this House must declare an environment and climate emergency … There is
no time to waste. We are living in a climate crisis … I was deeply
moved … by children on strike from school chanting “our planet, our
future”. … We are witnessing an unprecedented upsurge of climate
activism with groups like Extinction Rebellion forcing the politicians
in this building to listen … The protests … are a massive and necessary
wake-up call … We must be absolutely clear-eyed about the Paris
Agreement. As significant as it is – it is not enough. - Jeremy Corbyn declares environment and climate emergency, Labour Party, 1 May 2019 ---<<<Read More>>>...