'Extinction' petition handed in to Cambridge City Council
Cambridge City Council will discuss a petition handed in by the Extinction Rebellion movement demanding a declaration to help avoid “a devastating future of floods, heatwaves and crop failure”.
The petition was signed by 2,123 people who live, work or study in Cambridge.
It also calls for Cambridge to have carbon-free estates and operations by 2025 and provide support to local businesses in reducing their carbon output. The council currently aspires to be carbon neutral by 2050.
“The huge number of signatories is a clear sign that the people of Cambridge want the council to declare a climate emergency,” said Extinction Rebellion campaigner Nathan Williams.
“The last four years have been the hottest on record, carbon dioxide levels haven’t been this high for three million years and people in our community and across the world are facing a devastating future of floods, heatwaves and crop failure. This is an emergency.
“The scientists say it is an emergency. The people of Cambridge say it is an emergency. Cambridge city councillors must now reflect that.
“Cambridge is a global centre of knowledge and skills. With such powerful resources at its fingertips, the city can lead the way towards a zero carbon world and dramatically improve the lives of its citizens in the process.”
Councils across the UK, including Scarborough, Bristol, Richmond, Oxford, Brighton and in Cornwall, have already declared climate emergencies in their localities, and with similar strategies announced internationally in Australia and North America, campaigners “feel Cambridge should not only follow suit, but be a leader in the fight against climate breakdown”.
The petition was received by Rosy Moore, the executive councillor for environmental services and the city centre.
“We’re going to discuss the petition at the full council on Thursday, February 21,” she told the Cambridge Independent. “It’s not for me to decide, it’s for the full council, which consists of 42 councillors. I will be bringing a motion related to it.”
Future Extinction Rebellion events include a street party in Cambridge on March 2. It is one of a series of activism events taking place around the UK.
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