Rally to Ban Glyphosate

On Wednesday July 7th I am going to take the “Stop using Glyphosate” petition to the Sheffield Full Council meeting at Ponds Forge. As more than 5000 Sheffield citizens have signed the petition, this will force a debate. Please join me before the meeting for a rally outside Ponds Forge from 1 to 1.45pm. BringContinueContinue reading “Rally to Ban Glyphosate”

The Council declaring a Nature Emergency should be on the front page!

A letter to the Sheffield Star Dear Editor Sometimes I am perplexed by your choice of front-page story. Today you lead on another revamp of Fargate, but on reading the article there are few details of the plan apart from the Council takeover of one shop. On page 16 in a single column, you hideContinueContinue reading “The Council declaring a Nature Emergency should be on the front page!”

Major changes have been the result of protest.

My reply to S Thomson in the Sheffield Star S Thomson thinks I didn’t understand his/her letter. Maybe the reverse is true. I am very aware that telling people the truth about the climate and ecological emergencies we are facing is a dangerous thing. Climate anxiety is now a recognised condition as many people areContinueContinue reading “Major changes have been the result of protest.”

I declare a Nature Emergency

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCVNpZSEDqQ Today I am declaring a Nature Emergency.  More than 1 in 10 of over 8,000 species are at risk of extinction – with 1 in 4 UK mammal species at threat of being lost. The planet is experiencing the 6th mass extinction of species. Globally, populations of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles haveContinueContinue reading “I declare a Nature Emergency”

Labour and Greens join together in Cooperative Cabinet

Today was a momentous day for Sheffield. It has been announced that the Labour Party and the Green Party have reached an agreement to work together in a cooperative Cabinet. Here Cllr Peter Garbutt shares his thoughts on the new agreement. There will be an Inquiry into the Tree Dispute. https://youtu.be/1mUFk2v5nrU New Councillor Tina GilliganContinueContinue reading “Labour and Greens join together in Cooperative Cabinet”

I declare a Nature Emergency. Do you?

Sheffield Council still refuse to declare a nature emergency. They know if they did they would have to rethink their use of dangerous pesticides and herbicides like Glyphosate that kill our wild flowers, insects and pollinators. Nature Recovery Sheffield has been set up to form a massive coalition to campaign for a Nature Emergency declaration.ContinueContinue reading “I declare a Nature Emergency. Do you?”

The most important parliamentary Bill for a generation.

What do local MP’s Clive Betts and Olivia Blake have in common with Caroline Lucas of the Green Party, Sir Ed Davey from the Lib Dems, Clive Lewis from Labour, Alan Brown of the SNP and Liz Saville Roberts of Plaid Cymru? They are all supporting the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill, (CEE Bill) whichContinueContinue reading “The most important parliamentary Bill for a generation.”

Sheffield Council fails to call an Ecological Emergency

At the Sheffield Council meeting on February 3rd a petition was presented from Greenpeace and Sheffield Green Parents asking them to call an Ecological Emergency. The response from Mark Jones, the Cabinet member for the Environment and Climate Change, was predictable. He agreed to work with different groups to improve the Council’s policies, but failedContinueContinue reading “Sheffield Council fails to call an Ecological Emergency”

Democracy only works when citizens are involved.

The Government have announced that the local elections, postponed from May 2020, will go ahead this May. But due to the pandemic volunteers from political parties will not be able to distribute leaflets. They can, however, pay a delivery company to do this for them. This will give parties with rich individual or corporate backersContinueContinue reading “Democracy only works when citizens are involved.”

Less sugar, more bees please!

Do you, like me, have a sweet tooth? You may then be concerned to read that the Uk’s sugar industry is in big trouble.  Last winter was exceptionally mild in England, with few frosts. This allowed record-breaking numbers of aphids to survive. They transmit a kind of beet malaria (virus yellows) to the sugar beet.ContinueContinue reading “Less sugar, more bees please!”