Before the election, Climate Norfolk held a climate election debate for the North Norfolk constituency. Here is a report on the event:
Capacity crowd debates climate change ahead of election
A report on “The Great Climate Election Debate”, a public meeting with North Norfolk parliamentary candidates discussing the climate crisis.
Wednesday 19th June, 7pm, North Walsham Community Centre
Panel includes: Duncan Baker Conservative; Steffan Aquarone Liberal Democrat; Liz Dixon Green Party + presentation from Dr Hayley Pinto + questions from the audience
Candidates from Labour and Reform UK declined to attend
On Wednesday evening a capacity audience gathered in North Walsham Community Centre to talk climate change with their parliamentary candidates. The impressive level of attendance and engagement demonstrated that, for the people of North Norfolk, climate change is an issue for which there is significant interest as well as deep concern.
The opening presentation by Dr Hayley Pinto of Climate Norfolk, as well as detailing the appalling health impacts of the climate crisis, highlighted the very real danger of “feedback loops” causing temperature increases to spiral out of control. Her presentation was stark and hard-hitting, outlining the need for far stronger action, such as cuts to carbon emissions of 50% by 2030, if we are to fulfil our net zero commitments.
It was then over to the candidates and Duncan Baker, Conservative candidate, talked of how, on being elected, he had immediately made the environment one of his “top priorities”. He outlined his wide-ranging work on the leading environmental Select Committee and went on to call Reform UK’s proposed scrapping of Net Zero a “dangerous backward step”.
Steffan Aquarone, his Liberal Democrat challenger, spoke of former MP Norman Lamb as an inspiration and emphasised the link between environmental and health issues, vowing to be a champion for rural health. He expressed the view that the UK government had sunk from being global leaders on climate change to “the lowest level of populism”.
Liz Dixon for the Greens said her party “was prepared to speak uncomfortable truths about climate change” and envisaged a society where “compassion, cooperation and empathy are valued”. She lamented that, in her home village of Happisburgh, rising sea levels and increasing storms could mean the church would be gone within 30 years.
Questions from the audience followed and covered a good range of topics including: how to reduce pesticide use on our farms; decarbonising the built environment; reducing emissions from aviation and shipping; promoting biodiversity by assigning more areas to be managed for wildlife; and the influence of lobbyists on our decision-makers which is preventing climate action.
Climate Norfolk will soon be meeting to discuss outcomes from the evening, and how the momentum generated by the event can be built on. More such events are envisaged for elsewhere in Norfolk over the coming parliamentary term.
Dr Hayley Pinto of Climate Norfolk gave a stark, hard-hitting but inspirational presentation
Photo by Everglade Ltd
The event was well-attended with an audience of at least 85 people
Stephen Little from Climate Norfolk in West Runton while out promoting the event
Link to: Press article from previous event held by Climate Norfolk (formerly named CHAIN)