Inaction on the Emergency
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It’s nearly six months since the Council declared a Climate Emergency. The Oxford dictionary defines an emergency as “a serious, unexpected, and often dangerous situation requiring immediate action.” In those months the Council could have raised building standards, installed new electric charging points, ended purchases of petrol and diesel vehicles or told its pension fund to sell oil shares. Or all of them.
What it’s actually done is, err, talk. Which part of ‘immediate action’ does the council not understand?
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EnCaf First Forum Meeting
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Join us at our first Meeting at 7:30 on January 22nd in the Dugdale Centre in Enfield. At this meeting we’ll talk about the climate problems facing Enfield and what we can do about them. Every organisation can send 3 representatives. We will send more information closer to the date.
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Member Spotlight - Better Streets
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Better Streets is the borough’s leading campaign group seeking, well, better streets. It calls for “safe, healthy, people-friendly streets in Enfield:
Better streets is a leading advocate of cycle paths and Low Traffic Neighbourhoods which are both essential if we are to achieve a ‘modal shift’ from high-carbon motor travel to low-carbon and healthier cycling and walking. It works with other activists, community organisations and the council.
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Resources
We plan to keep members informed of local developments by producing this newsletter every fortnight – and more often if needed. We promise to keep it short! Anyone interested can subscribe at .
The EnCAF Core Group – that’s basically the founders – have accumulated information from the council and other sources about local emissions and their effects. We’ve put some of this information online.
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The Council’s Climate Emergency Task Force has now met twice – both times in secret. Extinction Rebellion, and several local residents have asked Task Force chair Cllr Ian Barnes why. They’ve been told that its due to ‘commercial confidentiality’ – as if the council has to stop the laws of physics from learning its secrets!
We cannot do everything we need to unless local government, business and residents all play their parts.
What the Task Force should be doing is reaching out to the whole of Enfield.
Involve the community! End the secrecy!
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St. Michael's Primary School has an unusual Christmas video - a call for climate action. St. Michael's is in Brigadier Hill.
Seven minutes of co-ordinated enthusiasm for our planet. An example to us all.
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There have only been two hustings in Enfield during this election – many less than in 2017. The Enfield North hustings was organised by Extinction Rebellion and the Enfield Southgate hustings by the Cockfosters and North Southgate Synagogue.
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Climate change was well covered at the first but at the second only the Green Party candidate mentioned it in his opening statement or showed any interest in this vital issue. That’s disappointing, and worrying, given that both the Labour and the LibDem manifestos stress the need for action. |
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