Government abandons climate targets
Following PM Sunak’s shock announcement that he will abandon key targets to tackle climate change, Ealing Friends of the Earth has written to local politicians to ask them to show the leadership that the government is failing to offer.
Astonishingly Sunak chose to announce delays to climate action in the same 24 hours that the UN Secretary General António Guterres in a speech to open the Climate Ambition Summit, happening alongside the UN General Assembly, said that “Humanity has opened gates to hell” because governments are not stepping up and making the changes necessary.
Ealing Friends of the Earth’s letter is below.
Our letter to Ealing councillors
Dear Cllrs Mason and Costigan,
You will have heard the shocking news about climate change. Despite his attempts to dress it up, it is quite clear that Rishi Sunak is further watering down plans to act on climate change. He seems intent on turning the UK from a world leader on climate change into a laggard.
With no lead from national government, it is now more important than ever that local councils (and the London Mayor) provide political leadership on climate change.
We recognise that councils have limited powers and stretched resources, but many actions do not require new powers or significant budgets. Education and communication with the public, leading to behavioural changes and support for green policies, require very little in way of extra resources. What they need, above all, is political will.
The horrific flood in Libya is a reminder of what climate change and extreme weather has in store for us all if action is not taken. We urge you to take climate change even more seriously by providing leadership and thereby give hope to the present and future generations.
Yours sincerely
Ealing Friends of the Earth