Category: Council

West Bergholt Parish Council declares A CLIMATE EMERGENCY

On Wednesday 26th January 2022 West Bergholt Parish Council agreed the following motion:

“THAT THIS COUNCIL BELIEVES THAT A CLIMATE EMERGENCY SHOULD BE DECLARED AND THAT THE PARISH COUNCIL WILL TAKE ACTION EITHER THROUGH ITS OWN WORK OR IN CONJUNCTION WITH OTHERS IN THE PARISH TO CUT CARBON EMISSIONS, MITIGATE THE EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING AND IMPROVE NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS ALL IN THE WIDER INTERESTS OF FUTURE GENERATIONS”

Climate emergencies are being declared internationally by governments and locally by public organisations. This is to draw attention to the effects of human activity, resulting in an ever-warming planet and its potentially catastrophic effects on natural environments, wildlife and human habitats. These can be manifested by a rise in temperatures, rising sea levels and deteriorating conditions for all life

Around 75% of UK councils have declared a Climate Emergency. Colchester Borough Council voted unanimously to declare a climate emergency back in July 2019. Internationally COP 26 has reaffirmed the need to:

• keep global temperatures from rising by more than 1.5 degrees, and
• reduce the amount of carbon released into our atmosphere to achieve this.

What does this mean for the residents of West Bergholt?

• Are you concerned about the deterioration of our natural environments and diminishing wildlife levels and habitats?
• Do you want to do more than simply re-cycle your plastic, paper and glass?
• Do you have ideas about how we could individually or collectively reduce our carbon footprints or improve local wildlife environments?

If so, we are asking for volunteers, across all age groups to join, or maybe lead, a new Working Party forward. They will help produce a strategy and a plan and initiate workshops.

• We need people with communications skills; they will help spread the word by writing articles for the web and other social media.
• Your organisational skills will ensure we have regular meetings and workshops; also talks from external speakers etc..
• Your ideas will help to produce a strategy for local action; also a plan for those initiatives we can achieve in our village. Funding for initiatives is available from the Government and ECC and many other organisations to help with green projects.

Email Laura, our Parish Clerk, at [email protected] to join us. Once she has your contact details, she will send you further information on the first meeting.

Please join us to help improve the future; to safeguard as far as is possible an environment that future generations can enjoy.

Some interesting web sites for further information:  

• https://www.essexclimate.org.uk
• https://giki.earth
• https://www.loveessex.org
• https://www.ealc.gov.uk

Press contact: Cllr Bob Tyrell, Chairman: Climate Emergency Working Party, West Bergholt Parish Council