Climate change is the most serious and urgent challenge facing communities across the World. Castle Point will not escape the potentially life-threatening effects of global warming, particularly as a significant proportion of our Borough is low lying. This makes us particularly vulnerable to rises in sea levels caused by the melting of Arctic and Antarctic ice.
In October 2018 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published a report that warned us that we only had 12 years to take radical action on carbon emissions if we were to limit global warming to 1.5° centigrade.
We now only have ten years to achieve this.
The report also warned of the dire consequences if we failed to take the necessary action, but indicated that the target could be achieved with ambitious and urgent action by Government, Civil Authorities, and the private sector.
The UK Government has recently committed to reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 following advice from the Committee on Climate Change. In support of the Government's endeavour, 277 out of 408 Councils have declared a Climate Emergency and are working on plans to reduce their carbon emissions to net zero.
Sadly, Castle Point is not yet numbered amongst those Districts which have accepted the challenge.
We feel that Castle Point Borough Council has a duty to protect us, our children, and our grandchildren from the dire consequences of runaway climate change, and is currently failing in that duty.

If you are a resident or business within Castle Point and agree that the Council should declare a Climate Emergency, please sign our petition to call on our Borough Council to:
1. Declare a Climate and Ecological Emergency.
2. Act decisively to make Castle Point carbon neutral by 2030, taking into account both production and consumption emissions.
3. Critically evaluate the ecological impacts of all the District Council’s decisions and actions; refuse initiatives that will result in the degradation of the natural environment and biodiversity; and actively promote the safeguarding and improvement of the natural environment.
4. Prepare by the end of 2020 at the latest, a strategic plan to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2030 across all activities for which the Council is responsible, and establish a robust and transparent system for evaluating progress on the implementation of the plan.
5. Call on the UK Government to provide the powers, resources and funding to meet a 2030 zero carbon target across the District of Castle Point.
6. Work together with other Councils and both public and private sector organisations to determine and implement best practice methods to achieve zero emissions by 2030.
7. Work with the District's residents and businesses to formulate, deliver, and monitor plans and actions which will tackle the climate and ecological emergencies.

Thank you for your support.