Teenager Tells Council She is ‘Petrified’ for Her Future as Climate Emergency is Declared

Published on: 24 Jul, 2019
Updated on: 24 Jul, 2019

Some of the demonstrators from Extinction Rebellion outside the council offices at Millmead before last night’s full council meeting.

By Martin Giles

“A Climate Emergency that requires urgent action,” was declared by Guildford Borough Council last night (July 23) at its full council meeting.

Before, climate change protesters from the Guildford branch of Extinction Rebellion held a demonstration outside the council chamber and six of their campaigners spoke persuasively to the council, highlighting the risks climate change represents and the urgency for action.

An almost full public gallery applauded each speech, some councillors broke convention and joined in, those who felt clapping was going too far, at least, nodding in agreement.

Rowan Todd addresses the full council.

Rowan Todd, representing Guildford’s Youth Strikes for Climate, said: “I am 13 years old and I am petrified for my future. The world needs to wake up and change in order to survive. By 2048, leading scientists predict that at the current rate of overfishing and pollution there will be no fish left in our oceans.

“I am scared because despite solid scientific evidence some people still believe we can carry on as before and survive into the future.

“No government is doing anywhere near enough about it. We are fighting a global war for our very survival. Decisions made or not made this evening will have a huge impact on our lives and on our futures.”

Cllr George Potter

Proposing the motion, Cllr George Potter (Lib Dem, Burpham) said: “I hope this motion should be uncontroversial. The science of this situation is very clear. As you have already heard from the public speakers, this is a real and imminent threat. The time we have to deal with this is rapidly running out.”

He highlighted a University of Surrey report, backed, he said, by extensive research, in which it was stated that a target for the whole country to become carbon neutral by 2030 would be appropriate and necessary.

Cllr Potter said that as a country early to develop technology and enjoy its benefits we had an extra responsibility to take action.

Other than declaring the climate emergency the motion commits the council making the council’s activities carbon-neutral by 2030 and work with others to evaluate when a carbon-neutral borough would be a possibility.

A “Climate Change Partnership” with all stakeholders is to be created and an action plan drawn up within 12 months.

Cllr Caroline Reeves

Council leader Caroline Reeves (Lib Dem, Friary & St Nicolas) said, “I think this is integral to all our lives. It affects everybody living and working in our borough. It is something that we have to act on now.

“We are working with the university and the Research Park. There will be a lot to report. It is taking some time [to set up the processes]. We will be involving the stakeholders and processes with this. We have to, we can’t avoid the issue.”

Cllr Paul Spooner

Cllr Paul Spooner (Con, Ash South & Tongham) said: “In terms of the science there is obviously some disagreement but there is no disagreement that this is a serious issue. I think it is very clear, and congratulations to Cllr Potter and others who put this together. It makes it very easy in terms of measuring.”

But he went on to caution that without adequate council resources in the shape of a “sustainability officer” to monitor progress “we are going to struggle”.

Cllr Susan Parker

Cllr Susan Parker (GGG, Send) said this is a matter of existential importance to all of us. “We are the generation that can do something about global warming and we know definitively that it is happening and we have a moral responsibility to deal with it.

“This council is doing a little. I have the great privilege [of being] the lead councillor for the environment. I don’t have very much power, influence or money, but I am completely committed.

“The council has done a few things it has scratched the surface and an awful lot of it is very, very superficial. We have to improve what we are doing.

“The impact of the decisions we make has an absolutely huge consequential input because the design and planning standards we impose as a council… have an impact on the developers.

“As a council, we have an absolute moral responsibility to make every decision that we take individually and as a group, based on the impact of climate change and anything else is absolutely unacceptable.”

No one spoke against the motion which was passed, apparently unanimously, without the need for a show of hands.

A further motion to make Guildford a plastic-free borough was also adopted.

After the meeting, Martin Giles spoke to some of the Extinction Rebellion demonstrators…

and then to Cllr George Potter who had proposed the two motions…

This story will be further developed. Please check back.

See other related stories here.

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