Quakers pave way for climate emergency declarations
As part of a news round-up, Rebecca Hardy looks at Quaker backing for council's around the country declaring climate emergencies
As 2018 drew to a close with the ominous warnings of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report tolling in people’s ears – that the human race had just twelve years to limit the most devastating impacts of global warming – a steady wave of councils kicked the year off by pledging to go carbon-neutral over the next decade.
As councils up and down the country, from Moray in Scotland to Cornwall in England, declared climate emergencies, Quakers led the way, with many Friends quietly and not so quietly working behind the scenes. Around ten Cornwall Quakers cheered in the gallery as the motion ‘Urgency on Climate Change’ brought by Liberal Democrat councillor Dominic Fairman was debated and passed. Earlier, Friends had handed a minute to Cornwall Council crafted at Area Meeting.
Huddersfield Quakers were also celebrating as Kirklees Council passed an emergency climate motion after calls for the commitment, including from a group of local Quaker campaigners. Moved by a Labour councillor, with the support of Labour and Green Party councillors, all parties had agreed except for the Conservative Party councillors, who abstained.
Up and down the country, other councils followed, putting pressure on the UK parliament, which eventually in May announced a national climate emergency.
Chris Martin, secretary to ‘Footsteps – Faiths for a Low Carbon Future’ (FFLCF) and member of Cotteridge Meeting, said that when Birmingham City Council made the declaration in June, following a faith group-led campaign that included Central England Quakers, councillors had linked the motion to local benefits. These included: clean air, warmer insulated houses, improved public transport, addressing present splits in society, and protecting green spaces and carbon sinks.
‘Passing the motion presents a major opportunity for Quakers and all the faith groups to make a faith-based contribution to tackling climate change in Birmingham,’ Chris Martin told the Friend at the time. ‘The motion recognises the social justice, inequality, natural environment and health issues involved in moving to a low carbon future.’
As we move into 2020, several Quakers have called for Friends to scrutinise these pledges closely to hold the councils to account. Martin Birley, from Kingston and Wandsworth Area Meeting, said: ‘There are many obstacles to progress, such as funding or the allocation of existing funds.’
Cotteridge Meeting became the first UK Quaker Meeting to be given a Gold Eco Church award from A Rocha.
Comments
Please login to add a comment
