You’ll probably have heard about Climate Change.  Sir David Attenborough said “Right now, we are facing a man-made disaster of global scale. Our greatest threat in thousands of years… Climate Change”.

But did you know Dorset Council declared a Climate and Ecological Emergency (CEE) in 2019, and are, right now consulting on their Strategy (click here)?

We want Dorset Council to lead the way by applying themselves to this problem with the scale and urgency it requires.  We want them to change their carbon zero target from 2040 to 2030.  You can send a clear message by signing this petition NOW!

The Council are to be applauded for all their work in producing their draft Strategy and Action Plans as they are, but does the current target of carbon neutral by 2040 reflect an EMERGENCY?

We believe the strategy needs to be more ambitious.  Let's aim for Carbon Negative not zero, strive for Nature Recovery and, most importantly, change the target for Dorset Council to be Carbon Neutral to 2030.  Dorset Council should work with the government, businesses, organisations, communities and individuals for them to achieve a target of 2030 too.

Please join us in asking Dorset Council to take up this challenge!

You can also find out more and respond to Dorset Council’s CEE Strategy Consultation (click here).

“If we don’t take climate action, the collapse of our civilisations and the extinction of much of the world is on the horizon.”  Sir David Attenborough.

Dorset Council’s Strategy itself states:

“Time is short – We (the world) are emitting 55 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. Scientists estimate that if we emitted no more than 580 billion tonnes, this would give us just a 50% chance of keeping within 1.5°C (420 billion tonnes would give us a 66% chance). Therefore, we have only 8-10 years at the current rate, within which serious action is required to avert this crisis and avoid the worst impacts.”

Therefore we are petitioning Dorset Council to change the target for the Council to be Carbon Neutral by 2030 instead of 2040.

David Attenborough said “The truth is: the natural world is changing. And we are totally dependent on that world. It provides our food, water and air. It is the most precious thing we have and we need to defend it” and “Human beings are the greatest problem-solvers our planet has ever known. We have just yet to apply ourselves to this problem with the scale and urgency it requires.”

One way you can contribute to solving this problem is by encouraging Dorset Council to accelerate the CEE Strategy by 10 years, for example by signing this petition.

You can also find out more and respond to Dorset Council’s CEE Strategy Consultation (click here).

When David Attenborough visited a group of mountain gorillas in Rwanda 40 years ago, they were on the brink of extinction due to the disastrous effect of deforestation.  But a huge conservation effort in the region means that the gorillas have since survived and grown in number, including descendents of Poppy, the “mischievous youngster” Attenborough met in the 1980s.  David describes their survival against the odds as “thrilling”, adding: “It just shows what we can achieve when we put our minds to it.”

From Jan 1st to Oct 31st in 2020, during the Covid 19 pandemic, the UK has produced around 10% less CO2.  This shows what can be done even with existing infrastructure.  Bring renewables, better-insulated buildings and electric vehicle technology into the mix, as well as motivated councillors, communities and individuals, and we CAN limit the damage we've inflicted on the natural world.

So there is hope!  Let's all join together to take action, like signing this petition, please, we know we are Stronger Together!

You can also find out more and respond to Dorset Council’s CEE Strategy Consultation (click here).

References - Carbon monitor - https://carbonmonitor.org/