Friends of the Earth backing Big Green initiatives

By Norman Pasley

ON SATURDAY, September 18, members of Gosport and Fareham Friends of the Earth informed and motivated people shopping in Fareham about environmental issues, in particular Great Big Green Week and the 26th Conference of the Parties – COP26.

Great Big Green Week (September 18 – 26 ) is an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate all the local green initiatives – including planting trees and wildflower meadows in public spaces and gardens, and not using peat in gardening.

It’s also time to prepare for COP26, in Glasgow, in November. This UN Climate Conference is our last, best chance to secure a future for our children and our planet. So we want the government and our local councils to step up to the challenge now with coordinated plans for a greener cleaner future.

Members of the public were invited to sign open letters urging local councils to improve their plans to address the challenge of climate change with 21st century solutions. An open letter to Hampshire County Council attracted 56 signatures, and one to Fareham Borough Council got 89 signatures.

Several members of the public volunteered the idea that our local councils needed to act! The question is how can we  make it happen?

Bob Murphy, secretary of Gosport and Fareham Friends of the Earth said: ” We need to try to stop COP26 becoming cop-out 26!”