Campaigners say silence from Dorset Council is deafening, as they marked the second anniversary since the Council declared a climate and ecological emergency with a ‘ceremony of nothing’.
On 16 May 2019 environmental campaigners from Extinction Rebellion and other local groups, celebrated when Dorset Council declared a climate and ecological emergency, a proud moment and an optimistic start from what was then the brand-new Council.
Caz Dennett who asked Dorset Council to vote on the climate emergency at that first Full Council meeting said “Two years on and two public consultations later, we still have no published action plan, no transparency of the decisions being made, no debate at Full Council and a large dose of silence from Dorset Council. From the perspective of regular Dorset residents, it looks like the Council have done nothing and said nothing about the climate and ecological emergency, yet the Council leaders recently rebuked Dorset people for being uninformed. That’s not leadership, that’s not good enough.”
The Ceremony of Nothing was organised by Extinction Rebellion Dorchester, Weymouth and Portland to mourn the lost opportunities during the last two years, and to send another message to Dorset Council that they urgently need to get on with it.
As part of the Ceremony, campaigners marched through torrential rain in Dorchester with a rally outside South Walks House followed by a stall and People’s Assembly at Maumbury Rings.
Outside the Council building an impassioned speech from scientist and local activist Emma Smart said “I stand here today in absolute fear and terror because not just Dorset Council, but our government is failing us. They are full of hot air and empty promises, with targets so far into the future that we are heading for inevitable collapse of our society, of food-systems and everything that we hold dear. Our Leaders have failed, and so it is up to us now, all of us, we have to take a step up”
Then on behalf of XR supporters Emma read a speech saying “Dorset Council, where is your call for action? Your silence is deafening! Since you declared a climate & ecological emergency 2 years ago globally, over 110,000 species have gone extinct, nearly 800,000 people have died directly from climate change effects, 48,000 square miles of Australia have been scorched by wildfires killing or displacing 3 billion animals. Carbon dioxide levels are at their highest in human history, 156 million acres of Amazonian rainforest have been destroyed. And in the UK excessive rain and resulting soil damage has led to crop failure and heat waves in Europe have destroyed harvests.”
A 2-minutes silence followed to mourn the losses and reflect on what XR believe we must do to stop the ongoing devastation. The silence was ended when UK Town Crier of the Year winner Cllr Alistair Chisholm rang his bell and delivered his winning cry, which sang praise for nature “To walk in fields and forests, by lakes and running streams improves our mental health and revives our hopes and dreams. Covid 19’s been a trial for us all. It’s damage to minds the cruellest of all. So let’s treasure nature and all of its glories, for time spent there in, will improve all our stories.”
A plaque temporarily erected on South Walks House to commemorate actions taken by the Council was ceremonially unveiled displaying nothing, and representations of the 10 Cabinet members were photographed in front of the plaque.
The rally moved to Maumbury rings, where campaigners set up a stall displaying their perspective on what Dorset Council have delivered on their climate and ecological emergency.
“We recognise that the council has done well recently in securing government funding, £19m, ringfenced to reduce the carbon footprint of the Council estate. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Their buildings and assets, represent only 1%-2% of the total carbon emissions generated each year in Dorset. They have been silent on how the 98%-99% will be tackled. Over the last two years they have missed or ignored endless opportunities to engage with the public and local businesses on things that can be done by them and how they can make a start on that 99%”, said Parish Councillor and campaigner Ken Huggins.
The outdoor People’s Assembly discussed the question “What can our local community do right now to tackle the challenges of the climate and ecological emergency?” Around 20 people took part in 3 facilitated groups, and ideas included:
- Better access to public transport, fair for all – more flexible community run services (mini-bus, car-sharing, e-bike hire)
- Communicate the issues and the solutions – individually and through organised educational campaigns
- Engage young people – across all sections of our community, their voice is critical
- Community champions – in all local groups, be it parish councils, sports teams, neighbourhood groups, civic societies, organisations and business, we need people to talk it
- Re-wilding – plant trees, grow food, sow seeds, responsibly but with earnest
Joe Burlington from Bridport said “I hope the Council will work with the community to support these ideas even if they can’t fund them. We need everyone pulling together if we want our children and grandchildren to have any kind of decent future.”
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