Environmental group urge Norfolk to declare a climate emergency
Professor Dave Evans is addressing a fully attended meeting this morning, after their petition on the issue received over 4,500 signatures
Norwich Friends of the Earth are urging Norfolk County Council to declare a climate emergency and put a new environmental action plan in place.
Professor Dave Evans, who's part of the group, is addressing a fully attended meeting this morning, after their petition on the issue received over 4,500 signatures.
He told us why they want to debate the issue with local decision-makers: "Some Councillors have previously said that declaring a Climate Emergency is sloganeering or virtue-signalling, they do not see the need to make the declaration as they say they are already taking action.
"They will say they are on target for net-zero carbon-dioxide emissions by 2030. But, it's unclear how they are going to achieve this from what they have published so far.
"We should ensure that they invest in appropriate transport systems, they should move away from the reliance on building new roads, fossil fuels and car transport.
"They should also influence their local district councils to certify that any new build be energy efficient and be at the highest levels of energy conservation".
Professor Evans went on to tell us what will happen if no headway is made: "We together with other local groups will continue to campaign and maintain pressure on the councillors to recognise the urgent need to take actions that will address the climate and nature crisis.
"We will hope to work with individual councillors and council officers to ensure that essential and necessary action is taken.
"We're already seeing extreme weather events more often, sea-levels will rise, there will be more local severe flooding, there will be more wild-fires and land will become less productive which will lead to food shortages.
"Although climate change is a global challenge it requires local solutions".
Norfolk County Council told us they remain "very confident" in their Environmental Strategy devised in 2019, which sets out plans to make the county carbon neutral by 2030.