Time for more than words – campaigners
CAMPAIGNERS have warned that any declaration in Guernsey of a climate ‘crisis’ needs to be backed up with money and action.
An amendment seeking support for such a declaration could be tabled in an upcoming States’ meeting, but would seek financial assurance to ‘underscore’ any action taken as a result of the declaration.
There is also agreement among those discussing options that any declaration should be a ‘crisis’ rather than an ‘emergency’ – which could assume the island has overreaching powers on the world stage.
Lindsay de Sausmarez said: ‘A declaration is only part of the work. We must use it to underscore any future legislation. It should affirm the fact that we are taking action.
‘I will give my full support to anyone who wishes to put the amendment forward to the States. I have spoken with multiple figures in government who are all very supportive of this idea and could possibly propose it themselves.
‘It is as yet undecided but I am fully supportive of the declaration, wherever it emerges from.’
Deputy de Sausmarez, who spoke at the local Extinction Rebellion march last Saturday, welcomed the inclusion of proposals for a ‘climate change action plan’ in the Future Guernsey Plan.
‘It’s great that they have included it in the plan, but they have said no resources are immediately available.
‘I would like to see a little bit more urgency, so I would like to see some dedicated resource put into that to make sure that we can crack on,’ she said.
Extinction Rebellion member William Carter said: ‘We would really like to see Guernsey follow in the footsteps of much of the rest of the world and declare a climate emergency.
‘We can then use that as a springboard to mount other action.
‘We would be happy with the word crisis, although the Extinction Rebellion use emergency. We do not want to get bogged down in semantics.
‘As long as the crisis is declared and enacted upon in the same manner as an emergency, it is the action we take that matters.’
Fellow member Rob Gregson said: ‘We need immediate action and this is a good place to commence that action from.
‘A change of state needs to take place whereby we take our climate in to every decision we make.’
Deputy Barry Brehaut, the president of Environment & Infrastructure, said: ‘The committee agrees that this States now needs to increase the urgency and the efforts it makes to address the multitude of environmental issues that we face.
‘We will bring a policy letter to the States with a climate crisis action plan in the first part of 2020.’
. Calls for a climate ‘crisis’ declaration locally come in the wake of Prime Minister Theresa May’s commitment to net zero carbon emissions across the UK by 2050 and ahead of a visit to the island by the head of a UN green finance network.
Last year, Guernsey joined the International Network of Financial Centres for Sustainability (FC4S).
It encourages financial centres to focus their energy on green, climate friendly operations.
Stephen Nolan, the managing director of FC4S, will visit the island next week, meeting finance chiefs and policymakers, including P&R president Deputy Gavin St Pier.
Mr Nolan is the keynote speaker at the Green & Sustainable Finance Forum, hosted by Guernsey Green Finance and BPP in Guernsey on 19 June.
The event also includes panel discussions on international climate change themes and Guernsey’s role in the process.
