On 4th May local elections are taking place across Norfolk. A really effective action to take is to write to your local candidates outlining some key facts on climate impacts in Norfolk, asking for their views on the climate crisis and asking for specific local actions to be taken. Here's some suggested text (with links) which you can include:
Dear [candidate’s name]
I’m writing to all the candidates hoping to represent this ward about the most pressing issue of our times - the climate crisis. On current projections, the impact of climate change on Norfolk will be severe:
- nearly a third of the UK’s “erosion hotspots” identified as under particular threat of coastal flooding are in Norfolk, and large parts of Norfolk are projected to be below the sea’s annual flood level by 2050;
- an increased risk of drought with summer rainfall projected to decrease by up to 50% this century and mean summer temperatures to be 5 degrees higher (Norfolk Coast AONB report);
- bumblebees and other key pollinators will disappear from Norfolk this century, with impacts across the eco-system. Unless climate change goals are met, our countryside “will be completely unrecognisable by 2100”;
And, of course, the impacts of the climate crisis around the world will be devastating, with potentially billions of people pushed to the edge of survival and/or forced to migrate. At a recent public meeting, George Freeman MP spoke of a “generational failure” to tackle climate change. It is clear we can fail no longer, and that the issue needs to be at the heart of our political conversation with action taken at every level of government.
In light of this I would like to ask you, if elected:
- what measures will you encourage the council to take to address the climate crisis?
- how will you promote action on climate change within the ward?
- will you support/enact the proposal to [insert local scheme/initiative]?
Thank you for your time
Yours sincerely
[Name & address]