26th November 2007

Dear Editor.

The very latest United Nations report on climate change makes clear we have only 8 years to stabilise carbon emissions or risk catastrophic and irreversible climate change. It is therefore welcome that after several attempts by Green Councillors, Sheffield City Council voted in November to set a city wide carbon footprint reduction plan for the city. (See the climate change targets (letter from LibDem Cllr. Diane Leek, The Star Nov 21st ).

However, voting for the Plan was the easy bit. The real challenge is
to make it happen. The very next vote at that Council meeting was the adoption of the Economic Master Plan for the city. This 15 to 20 year Plan does not recognise that we are already living way beyond what the environment can sustain. As a result carbon emissions will rise rather than fall.

The two Green Party councillors were the only Party to vote against
the EconomicMaster Plan. Our alternative was to work towards an economy that would enable us to meet our needs and deliver year on year carbon reduction targets. It was soundly defeated. The other Parties fail to see that the bottom line is that if we damage the environment there can be no economic security for any of us. A low carbon economy can provide health and social benefits as well as long term job security.

The Green Party will continue to make the case that taking real
action to tackle climate change demands a fundamental change of direction. Our future prosperity depends on an economy that ensures we can live within the ability of the environment to support us and our children's children. Anything less than this is pure folly.

Cllr Bernard Little.