A group who have held silent vigils outside Sheffield Town Hall for two years have demanded action from the government over climate change.
Sheffield Climate Vigil, a group based in Sheffield City Centre who hold regular silent vigils, feel ‘let down’ by the government over response to the climate crisis.
Joan Miller, a lobbyist and member of Sheffield Climate Vigil, said: “The government implies that green policies are a luxury and that’s not true.
“They’re not taking enough notice of what the climate change committee is saying. They need to listen to their own advisors.”
In November 2022, at the COP27 climate talks, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged he would fulfil the UK’s commitment to reduce emissions by at least 68% by 2030.
However, ‘Friends of Earth’, one of the organisations that brought the case against the government, warned that the UK “should be much closer” to these goals, “but instead, it went backwards.”
The UK Climate Change Committee – UKCCC – also warned the government plan would only deliver a fifth of the emissions cuts needed in the next ten years.
Bob Banks, also a member of Sheffield Climate Vigil, said: “I definitely feel let down by the government, what’s needed is not pledges but action.
“From the government we need complete stopping of new fossil fuel licenses, it’s ridiculous at this stage that we’re pouring more fuel on the fire.
“It doesn’t feel like it should be a left-wing or right-wing political football, it feels like no matter what your ideology you should be in favour of saving the planet.”
On Friday 3 May, the high court ruled against the government, for the second time, for not doing enough to meet the targets of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Ed Miliband, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State of Climate Change and Net Zero, said the ruling is a “new low even for this clown show of a government that has totally failed on energy and climate for 14 years”.
The ruling means that Britain will have to submit a new plan, for the second time.
Sheffield Climate Vigil group hold silent vigils every first and third Monday of the month and are urging people to ‘join something’ in the fight for change.
