Your article (“Climate threat alert,” M.E.N. 23 February) quotes David Attenborough as saying that if the world acts with “sufficient vigour” it may avoid runaway climate change.
Two weeks ago the Resources and Governance Scrutiny Committee recommended that scrutiny of climate (among other issues) be overhauled. All eyes are now on the meeting of full Council on Wednesday 31st March to see what councillors – who all voted for a Climate Emergency declaration in July 2019 – are asked to vote on.
One danger is that all that is offered to them is a tokenistic re-branding of existing structures, which all agreed are inadequate – the word “climate” shoe-horned in.
We at Climate Emergency Manchester have released a four-page set of suggestions about how the new climate emergency scrutiny committee could work. It’s available on our website – www.climateemergencymanchester.net
We are also asking citizens to write to their councillors and to the leader of the Council, asking that the strongest possible proposals are put forward. The Council has an opportunity here to model an openness, and willingness to engage in sometimes difficult dialogue. We hope that it will vigorously seize the opportunity.
Chloe Jeffries and Robbie Watt
Climate Emergency Manchester
