Open letter sent to all new or re-elected county councillors
Congratulations on being successfully elected to represent your ward on Nottinghamshire County Council.
As you are probably aware Extinction Rebellion Nottingham organised a Climate Camp between Trent Bridge and the County Council offices for 9 days leading up to the elections. While we were there, we spoke to many people walking alongside the Trent travelling to or from work or taking their daily exercise. Many of them were extremely concerned about the climate change emergency and wanted us to send you their picture with the frame caption that captured their feelings at the time.
Your tenure, whether you are newly elected or a seasoned councillor, comes at the most crucial time for taking the action that will give the planet the best chance of keeping with in the 1.5oC above pre industrial temperatures – we are currently at over 1.2oC and counting. Scientists are telling everyone that unless we actually reduce (as opposed to only talk about reducing) our CO2 emissions into the atmosphere significantly every year from now on, then the impact for us all including you, your family and your constituents will be catastrophic.
The County Council with its strategic and wide-ranging responsibilities and influence has a crucial part to play and we urge you to do everything you can, working cooperatively with all councillors from all parties and none, to make a difference. This temperature rise is caused by humans and human activities, including us all in Nottinghamshire, and humans are capable of slowing it down, but only if elected representatives such as yourselves take the necessary emergency action now.
What you do as an individual in the next election period in terms of the climate emergency will be your lasting legacy.
Every decision you make from now on will have its own impact on the climate.
Please consider this prior to all votes and in all discussions that you have on the council starting with the very welcome possibility of the council making the first step of declaring a “Climate Emergency” on Thursday 27th May.
Best Wishes,
Extinction Rebellion Nottingham