Town hall chiefs call climate emergency
ROCHDALE council has declared a climate emergency. Town hall chiefs have committed to making the borough carbon-neutral by 2038 – 12 years earlier than the target set by the government.
They voted almost unanimously in favour of a motion, which binds the authority to Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s green ambitions for the conurbation.
In an impassioned speech, Lib Dem leader Coun Andy Kelly said: “Climate change is real, whether we like it or not. We are in a state of emergency – sea levels are rising, temperatures are rising across the globe, pollution is the highest it has ever been. It affects us locally with air quality, with the flooding issues we see time and again in this borough and it’s certainly going to affect our children and grandchildren – and those children not yet born. For future generations, if we don’t do something about this now we are poisoning future generations and shortening their lives.”
The Lib Dem chief said that by declaring a climate emergency the council would give itself a platform
to develop green policies.
“Declaring a climate change emergency gives us a chance to promote the elimination of single use plastics, to invest in a better transport system, to reinvest in planting trees, – improving air quality, biodiversity and improving the natural heritage of the borough.
“Every new house we can ensure is of the greenest standard, some very said: “We owe it to our citizens who may suffer from extreme weather, food shortages and other climate related dangers. And owe it to our young people who are concerned about their future.”
Warning that ‘the clock is ticking’ she added: “We have perhaps 10 or 12 years, our own experience, with the Boxing Day floods and other events will continue to be more frequent without action. We in Rochdale must move quickly for the benefit of all the community, our children’s future and the survival of the whole planet.”
Tory leader Coun Ashley Dearnley said his party was ‘absolutely committed to ensure that this time, for the first time our generation will leave a better planet for the next generation to come and to safeguard for the future’.
He also said the motion’s call to set up a working group to tackle the issue was ‘really important’ and called for every council report to be made relevant to the issue of climate change.
“At times when it’s been necessary to do that, this council has always done the right thing to ensure that we improve how the council works to the benefit of everyone that lives here,” he said.