The Climate Change Conference (COP24) has resulted in agreement by 196 states to control greenhouse gases to attempt to limit global warming. Nobody disputes the science. The shocking facts are that the original pledges made at the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015 are not enough. The new COP24 agreement urges nations to be much more ambitious in reducing emissions.

So is everything OK then? No, not at all. The agreement is voluntary, and it is words. This is a crisis, and immediate action is needed to reduce emissions.

There is no doubt about the scale of the trouble we are in. A succession of scientific reports has exposed the unfolding disaster, including one from the UN that said there were only 12 years left to avert the most extreme consequences of climate breakdown.

The mayor of London Sadiq Khan has declared a 'Climate Emergency'. Bristol and Manchester have done the same. We need other cities and local authorities to follow suit. If Herefordshire Council joined other cities in declaring a 'Climate Emergency' we'd be able to roll out awareness to every organisation in the county to take action.

Liz Overstall

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