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Like many other parish, district and county councils across the UK, Martlesham Parish Council has declared a climate emergency.
But what does this mean? And what should the residents of Martlesham be doing about it?
The goal of this web site is to help you understand climate change, how the way you live could be making it worse, and what you can do to make things better.
According to the Met Office, 2022 was the world’s sixth warmest year since 1850 and the ninth year in succession that the average temperature was 1.0°C warmer than was typical in the early days of the industrial revolution. 2023 looks set to have been even hotter.
Already:
- weather patterns are changing, bringing more heatwaves, storms and floods
- animals are finding it hard to adapt and some may soon become extinct
- glaciers and ice caps are shrinking, increasing sea levels and threatening coastal regions
- farmers are finding it harder to grow crops, both here in the UK and around the world.
Things could get better … or worse. As Sir David Attenborough said in 2020, “what happens next is up to all of us.”
So, if you haven’t already done so, please start reducing your carbon footprint now. And if you’ve made changes already? Then keep up the good work!
According to the Government’s Committee on Climate Change, the average household’s carbon footprint was about eight tonnes a year in 2014. To get to grips with climate change, it said we need to cut this to around 4.5 tonnes a year by 2030.
If that sounds like a big difference, you're right - it is. But making changes could be easier than you think. And some things that cut carbon emissions could save you a lot of money.