Shropshire councils' climate change declarations 'inadequate'
Climate change emergency declarations by the two councils in Shropshire are “not adequate” enough to tackle the decline in nature, it has been claimed.
Both Shropshire Council and Telford & Wrekin Council have declared climate change emergencies this year.
But Phil Holden, partnership manager of the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (ANOB), said the authorities’ stance does not go far enough.
He will present a paper to members of the AONB board next Tuesday, with three recommendations outlining how the two council’s can move forward and include the decline in nature.
He said: “On May 15, Shropshire Council declared a climate emergency and its intention to become carbon neutral by 2030.
“The declaration did not however make any reference to nature decline.
“The council has set up a member task and finish group on the climate emergency, and an officer group, to which the AONB manager has been invited.
“On July 25, Telford & Wrekin Council declared a climate emergency with a commitment to become carbon neutral by 2030 and to remove single use plastics from its operations.
“Again there is no reference to nature.”
He added: “The AONB partnership has been championing shifting to low carbon and nature recovery for a long time, and the declaration of emergencies by parliament and councils should be welcomed.
“However, those by the councils do not cover the environmental dimensions adequately.
“All the declarations need to be backed up by action.
“Virtually all of the actions in the AONB management plan contribute to nature recovery and lowering carbon emissions.”
Mr Holden has set out three recommendations he will ask the board to approve to be sent off to the two councils. They include that both councils “must formally declare that nature decline is as threatening as climate change; that members and officers must be trained to help achieve zero carbon emissions and that people “consume and travel less”.
He added: “Net zero and nature recovery cannot be achieved if the political and corporate focus is on economic growth at all costs.
“On energy and transport we need to talk about managing demand as well as changing supply.
“This may mean people consuming less and travelling less. This future is not unthinkable, and can benefit people.”
