Climate Emergency Petition to Bath and North East Somerset Council
- Target:
- Bath and North East Somerset Council
- Region:
- United Kingdom
UPDATE 10th March, 2019
Only a few more days to sign! We will be delivering this to the council this Thursday 14th!
Besides the 1414 online signatures to date, we have 515 on paper, so far .handed in. If you have a paper petition, even if it only has a few signatures, please put it through the door 10 Brookleaze Buildings, Larkhall, BA1 6RA by Tuesday 12th March, because every B&NES signature counts.
So we’ve exceeded the critical number required to represent 1% of the electorate in Bath and North East Somerset,(1200 valid signatures.) now just 71 short of 2000. To be valid one must live in B&NES, be 12 years old or older, or work or study in B&NES and insert the B&NES address on the petition.
Every valid signature is an achievement, for the cause, and also for the individual signing to help bring about action on the most important challenge facing us today. Give others that opportunity. Thanks for signing, and please share, Share, SHARE!
(Please only sign IF you live, work or study in Bath and North East Somerset, giving the B&NES address. Other signatures will be rejected by the council. Thank You!)
We the undersigned are petitioning Bath and North East Somerset Council because:
1. Humans have already caused irreversible climate change, the impacts of which are being felt around the world. Global temperatures have already increased by 1 degree Celsius from pre-industrial levels. Atmospheric CO2 levels are above 400 parts per million (ppm). This far exceeds the 350 ppm deemed to be a safe level for humanity;
2. In order to reduce the chance of runaway Global Warming and limit the effects of Climate Breakdown, it is imperative that we as a species reduce our CO2eq (carbon equivalent) emissions from their current 6.5 tonnes per person per year to less than 2 tonnes as soon as possible;
3. Individuals cannot be expected to make this reduction on their own. Society needs to change its laws, taxation,
infrastructure, etc., to make low carbon living easier and the new norm;
4. Carbon emissions result from both production and consumption;
5. Bath and North East Somerset Council has already shown foresight and leadership when it comes to addressing the issue of Climate Breakdown by supporting the Our Power in B&NES green local energy scheme, the success of the waste recycling changes, and working with WECA to roll-out electric car charging points;
6. Unfortunately, our current plans and actions are not enough. The world is on track to overshoot the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C limit before 2050;
7. The IPCC’s Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C, published in October, describes the enormous harm that a 2°C rise is likely to cause compared to a 1.5°C rise, and told us that limiting Global Warming to 1.5°C may still be possible with ambitious action from national and sub-national authorities, civil society, the private sector, indigenous peoples and local communities;
8. Councils around the world are responding by declaring a ‘Climate Emergency’ and committing resources to address this emergency.
References:
1. Fossil CO2 & GHG emissions of all world countries, 2017:
http://edgar.jrc.ec.europa.eu/overview.php?v=CO2andGHG1970-2016&dst=GHGpc [Accessed 10.12.18]
2. World Resources Institute: https://www.wri.org/blog/2018/10/8-things-you-need-know-about-ipcc-15-c-report
[Accessed 10.12.18]
3. The IPCC’s Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5ºC, pub 6/10/18: : https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sr15/
[Accessed 10.12.18]
4. Cross-party support for Bristol Climate Emergency measure: https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/bristol-declares-climate-emergency-and-pledges-to-become-carbon-neutral-by-2030/
[Accessed 10.12.18]
5. Green Party Bristol. (2018) Greens declare a Climate Emergency and bring Bristol’s CO2 emissions target forwards 20 years. Available at: https://bristolgreenparty.org.uk/news/greens-declare-a-climate-emergency-and-bring-bristols-co2-emissions-target-forwards-20-years [Accessed 10.12.18]
6. This is a non-party political petition initiated by Lin Patterson in a personal capacity as the Lead Petitioner for purposes of submission to the council, and does not have any connection to the Green Party or any other political party.
Therefore we petition B&NES council to resolve to:
1. Declare a ‘Climate Emergency’;
2. Pledge to make Bath and North East Somerset carbon neutral by 2030, taking into account both production and consumption emissions (scope 1, 2 and 3) Scope 1, 2 and 3 of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol explained:
https://www.carbontrust.com/resources/faqs/services/scope-3-indirect-carbon-emissions [Accessed 10.12.18]
3. Call on Westminster to provide the powers and resources to make the 2030 target possible;
4. Work with other governments (both within the UK and internationally) to determine and implement best practice
methods to limit Global Warming to less than 1.5°C;
5. Continue to work with partners across the city and region to deliver this new goal through all relevant strategies and plans;
6. Report to Full Council within six months with the actions the Council will take to address this emergency.
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The Climate Emergency Petition to Bath and North East Somerset Council petition to Bath and North East Somerset Council was written by Bath Climate Emergency Action Group and is in the category Environment at GoPetition.