Today (4 November 2016) the historic Paris Agreement on climate change comes into effect and local environmental campaigners Huddersfield Friends of the Earth are calling for the ambition of the Agreement to now turn into urgent action in Kirklees, Yorkshire and the UK.
The Paris Agreement of December 2015 commits the UK Government to work towards an ambitious target of 1.5 degrees. To have any chance of meeting that target, Friends of the Earth has calculated that we need to be cutting emissions by at least 80% by 2030. [1] The UK Government’s own advisory Committee on Climate Change recently stated that the minimum level of ambition for carbon emission cuts should be a target of at least 57% for the period 2028-2032. [2]
Campaigners from Huddersfield Friends of the Earth supporting the Fossil Free West Yorkshire Pension Fund campaign in February 2016.
The campaign group is working with others in Huddersfield and Yorkshire to call on local and national government, businesses and insitutions to deliver the radical carbon cuts needed. Examples of climate action the group is calling for include:
- Banning of all new fossil fuel production within Yorkshire and the UK, including fracking.
- Calling on large local institutions (eg West Yorkshire Pension Fund and Huddersfield University) to pull out of investments in fossil fuels and reinvest in local climate-friendly projects.
- Promotion of Passivhaus ultra energy efficient building for new homes and the radical refurbishment of existing homes and buildings to eliminate fuel poverty
- Development of community renewable energy across Kirklees and Yorkshire
- Action on air pollution and development of sustainable transport measures
Chayley Collis from Huddersfield Friends of the Earth stated: “Here in West Yorkshire and around the world the impact of extreme weather is already being felt. The next years are critical to tackling climate change. To meet the climate commitments set out in the Paris Agreement and UK Climate Act we need to be undertaking rapid and radical decarbonisation. The good news is that the changes we need to make are really positive in terms of warm homes, clean air and a thriving local green economy.”
Huddersfield FoE is working with a range of other local environmental groups including the Fossil Free West Yorkshire campaign and Zero Carbon Yorkshire campaigns to help make these visions a reality. To find out how to get involved go to: huddersfieldfoe.wordpress.com/
Huddersfield Friends of the Earth 