Re: Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss

I am writing to beg you to take seriously the threat of climate change and biodiversity loss.

This year has been a dreadful year for the planet. We have seen forests ablaze across the world; even above the Arctic circle the permafrost is melting and peat is smouldering; the warming oceans have generated larger, more violent and more frequent storms that have caused havoc; there have been huge losses of ice from the Western Antarctic and evidence that this is accelerating; Greenland is losing ice at a colossal rate; we are seeing eco-systems collapse with a frightening rate of species loss and then there is of course the huge damage being caused by plastics and other pollution. All this and much more has been reported in just the last 12 months.

It is clear that the worst-case IPCC predictions were far too conservative.
Please listen to Prof Peter Wadhams from Cambridge here.
Please listen to Prof Kevin Anderson from Manchester here.
Please listen to Sir David Attenborough here.

The implications for the South Hams in just a few decades is there is likely to be devastating flooding and loss of coastal villages, roads and railways; consequential damage to tourism and the local economy; increased extremes of weather that will affect farming… the list goes on.

It is essential that the £400,000 that has been allocated for Climate Change and Biodvidersity Loss is ring-fenced. If spent over 4 years it represents just 1% of the budget!

The District Council needs to wake up to the looming threats of Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss and start to take action. The current CC+BL strategy and action plan is wholly inadequate. You must realise this surely. Please look at this report from the Tyndale Centre for Climate Change Research:
Setting Climate Committments for South Hams

The proposed Community Board is welcome as it presents the real prospect of building a plan that could make a difference. But it needs to be run as a dynamic continuous engagement with local organisations and groups with knowledge and expertise that can help create and deliver an effective plan. The Council should not be frightened of this prospect but embrace it.

Please rise to the challenge that is here and now and not wait until it is too late.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,