Four years ago, on July 10th 2019, Manchester City Council declared a Climate Emergency. We all hoped there would be a grand plan of some sort, but it looks like the whole thing may have been based on a fire exit sign all along.
- Raise the alarm
- Declare a Climate Emergency. Then form a climate change agency to produce neat campaigns and webinars to hide behind whenever you get questions about the rapidly evaporating carbon budget.
- Leave by the nearest exit – Set science-based target of zero carbon by 2038. Commit to explore if 2030 is feasible before realising that the number doesn’t matter as there’s no chance of hitting either without doing step 1 properly.
- Unrelated to all of this, Sir Richard Leese finds the nearest exit and steps down as leader of Manchester City Council, replaced by Bev Craig (councillor for Burnage).
- Report to assembly point – Convene a community climate assembly of 100 residents over six weeks then completely ignore the mandate for change they give you.
- Do not take any risks – Are you having a f£&%!^g laugh? The UK hit 40C for the first time in recorded history in 2022. The planet saw the three hottest days ever last week. The coming years are highly likely to see floods and heatwaves pound the UK; we are already taking the gravest risks possible. At the very least, the Council owes a duty of honesty to its citizens.
As of autumn 2022, Manchester has burned through approx. 40% of the city’s carbon budget for the entirety of the 21st century. At our current rate, the budget will be exceeded by 2027 at the latest.
In July, Climate Emergency Manchester will look back at climate inaction in the city and what still needs to change, broken down by our three main emission areas: businesses, homes, and transport.
