Speech to Falkirk Council Seconding Resolution on Climate Justice and Proposed Improvements to Processes at Council

https://www.falkirk.gov.uk/coins/submissiondocuments.asp?submissionid=18675

I’m genuinely delighted to see this motion on the agenda today and that at this important moment for our nation as it looks to lead the way during COP26 on the issue of Climate Justice, we are debating, what more we can do to play a meaningful part in tackling climate change. 

Despite some present mobility limitations, I was determined to get through to at least part of the March on Saturday – It was important, not just to be with other like-minded people and play a part in putting pressure on the world’s leaders but also to listen and learn about the real emerging focus of this COP, which is Climate Justice and Loss and Damage.

The focus on indigenous populations and what they have already lost, never mind are set to lose, was at times very moving to hear about and it’s inspiring that Scotland is leading the way with the first dedicated Global fund to compensate for Loss and Damage. It’s a symbol that as those who have played a significant part in the damage already brought about by climate change, we must help others who have done little or nothing to contribute to this, but suffer the most.

While we cannot unpick the part we have already played, it must be all of our collective goals, to ensure that we do not continue to add to this injustice, either on populations far from home, or on those in our own society who have the least financial means to respond to climate change and are often most at risk.

While world leaders gather in Glasgow to make Global commitments, yet there is plenty we can do, plenty we must do, in our own sphere of influence, to ensure that we are playing our part.

In the space between Global / Multilateral Action and personal responsibility, we cannot ignore our duty in the decisions we make in this council which are vastly more important than all our personal goals put together.

What this motion calls for is simple – and perhaps could be summarised as an attempt to ensure that we do not fall fowl of the curse of “Climate Crisis….Blah Blah Blah”

The actions outlined in this motion are eminently sensible, practical and logical. If we have made a commitment to reduce our carbon emissions and get to net zero, then it stands to reason that we need to understand the impact all of our decisions have on these targets. 

We would not take budget decisions without financial advice, or put ourselves further in deficeit without a plan to combat it, so the same should hold for our carbon budget also.

The elephant in the room, the catalyst in feeling that these changes are now necessary, in fact essential, is in decisions forced by the opposition in recent full councils and that indeed leads to some of the other recommendations.

The excellent and targeted climate literacy training recently offered, taught us exactly where we, as councillors, could make a difference in terms of the spheres of influence we have.

Buildings and Transport where two massive parts of that and yet two days after many of us made our pledges on what we could do in our decision-making role, we made an unnecessary decision to take us further away from our climate targets in increasing the number of buildings at the HQ site, reducing the possibility of their efficiency and in failing to realise vital transformational change to our transport network. 

It is essential that we take stock and understand the impact these and other decisions have actually made and what we can do about them.

I know  or perhaps presume that we all care about climate change but I don’t think I have ever felt so crushed or disappointed in any decision this council has made, than thinking how climate change concerns were given so little attention when it came to the biggest project we had ever been asked to decide on. To be honest, I felt a deep embarrassment on behalf of our cross party group who went through climate literacy training together but then whose opposition members paid little attention to what they appeared so earnestly to commit to.

It’s time to put measures in place that make our climate obligations impossible to ignore. Quite simply, it’s time to reject greenwashing. Time for a unified approach across this chamber on climate change that is actually reflected in decision making and time for an absolute, unequivocal end to Blah, Blah, Blah.