Students launch campaign for ELDC to declare climate emergency

A local youth environmental movement has launched a campaign calling on East Lindsey District Council to declare a climate emergency.
Students have launched a petition calling on ELDC to delare a climate emergency.Students have launched a petition calling on ELDC to delare a climate emergency.
Students have launched a petition calling on ELDC to delare a climate emergency.

The campaign - which includes a protest at home by Lincolnshire Climate Conscious Students, an online petition and an open letter to the council - encourages ELDC to follow in the footsteps of Boston Borough Council and put measures in place.

Student Cloud Harney-Romero, aged 14, who is the campaign spokesperson, said: "Our new campaign is incredibly important for the local area, especially due to past flooding.

"It’s also pivotal ELDC follows in the steps of Boston Borough and declares an emergency, considering they are now sharing services.

"East Lindsey is a coastal area and will be heavily impacted in the future by rising sea levels. The environment should be a priority for this council."

Another member of the movement, Rhianna Wilson, explains the risk: "Whilst on the face of it East Lindsey might seem to be one of the least sizeable contributors to climate change as it is far less industrialised than many other areas, climate change plays a huge part in shaping our local area due to the amount of coastal flooding taking place. A significant proportion of the ELDC land area is below sea level, meaning that it is at high risk to coastal flooding.

"Climate change has been proven to cause many types of flooding including coastal and riparian flooding (flooding near rivers), both of which affect the land controlled by ELDC. We have seen local flooding several times in the last decade, for example the Wainfleet Flood and then December 2013 floods and surge tides.

"In more recent years we have seen a shift from a temperate climate to that, on occasions, resembling a monsoonal climate whereby a significant proportion of monthly rainfall will fall in a matter of days, especially during the summer months. Examples of this can be found in July 2017 and more recently in June 2019 when the town of Wainfleet (under ELDC) was severely flooded. Another climate-induced threat mentioned earlier is riparian flooding. Unlike coastal flooding, this poses a threat to the district as a whole due to the abundance of rivers.

"Our district is becoming increasingly more vulnerable because of climate change and recognising a climate emergency could make a huge difference in the future of the East Lindsey area, the county as a whole, for the country and for the global greater good. The council has no problem replenishing Skegness beach with sand in order to fuel the local economy, why can’t they put the same effort into caring for the environment in the local area as a whole?

"Declaring a climate emergency would show a political commitment to fighting climate change, as over 250 other councils have done since 2018, allowing the council to take preventing climate change a step further by implementing prevention measures such as restoring riverside areas where they can no longer cope with contemporary extreme events, and setting goals to achieve in regards to climate change. Boston Borough Council has done this in January, and has put several measures in place. ELDC has to follow suit, especially if they’re now sharing services with Boston which makes it more vital than ever they put environmental impact at the heart of their operations."

Boston Borough Council declared a climate emergency in January, following public pressure. Lincoln City Council and North Kesteven District Council have also declared a climate emergency.

The open letter to ELDC states: "Climate change is a very important issue. It is our belief, one that is shared by everyone who has signed our petition, that the efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change locally should be improved upon. We live in a coastal area that will be drastically impacted by the effects of climate change, and we would really appreciate seeing a more proportionate response to the risk.

"One way this can be achieved is through declaring a climate emergency. Several councils across the county have already come this. These include a Boston Borough Council, Horncastle Town Council, City of Lincoln Council and North Kesteven District Council. These councils have put environmental concern and impact at the forefront of the agenda, putting funding and effort into ensuring they are doing as much as they can locally, like installing EV chargers in car parks. There is absolutely no reason why ELDC shouldn’t do the same.

"It is of paramount importance to us, especially for future generations, that action is taken now to reduce the effects of a climate crisis. ELDC, we strongly urge you to engage with us and the public, and to declare a climate emergency and take action now."

To sign the petirion, visit http://chng.it/C4R2rWLSky