7th July 2007

Dear Editor

Many people in South Yorkshire recently faced the traumatic experience of having to leave their homes, either because of actual flooding or the threat of Ulley dam breaking. Our thoughts are very much with the people who still can't return to their homes and have lost most of their possessions.

Imagine for a moment how worse the situation would have been if we didn't have our excellent emergency services and there had been no engineers to save the dam or firemen to pump the water away from flooded streets.Imagine if our houses were not made of brick, but of sticks and mud, so easily washed away by the torrents. Imagine how the floods would have affected us if we lived in an Asian or African village.

As climate change brings more and more extreme weather we will all suffer from the consequences.In South Yorkshire those that are suffering most are the people that couldn't afford insurance.In future those that suffer most from climate change will be the poorest people in the poorest countries, but no one will be immune to the severe weather that we can expect. There will be more and more
environmental refugees fleeing homelands that have been flooded or ruined by drought.

I am really pleased that Sheffield is to become a "City of Sanctuary"-this means that the City Council is publicly committed to working to promote a welcoming city for asylum-seekers and refugees. I think the people of South Yorkshire will now be even more understanding to these folk that have such traumatic stories-after all, many now understand from personal experience a little of what it is like to be a refugee.

Graham Wroe
Sheffield Green Party