What do West Ham, Southampton, Chelsea and Norwich City have in common?

(A letter to the Star and Telegraph) Football fans, what do West Ham, Southampton, Chelsea and Norwich City have in common? They are the 4 Premier League clubs who will be at risk of flooding every season within the next 3 decades. A report by the Rapid Transition Alliance found that a quarter of allContinueContinue reading “What do West Ham, Southampton, Chelsea and Norwich City have in common?”

A challenge to the Blades and the Owls

In my youth, a popular mantra was “Sport and Politics don’t mix”.The truth is that sport and politics have always gone hand in hand, sometimes for the good, sometimes not. Marcus Rashford won a brilliant victory, forcing the Prime Minister to continue free school meals over the summer and has now launched a campaign againstContinueContinue reading “A challenge to the Blades and the Owls”

We plough the fields and spray them

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_DRmNRfNJQ Sing along to the video! We plough the fields and spray them With Glyphosate each year It kills the weeds and insects And gets into our beer The cancer grows inside us The bees they fade and die But farmers keep on spraying They believe Monsanto’s lie. All good gifts around us Are sprayedContinueContinue reading “We plough the fields and spray them”

The demands for racial justice and climate justice are two sides of the same coin.

I am a white, heterosexual, professional man, so you may question my qualifications to write about racism. However, I hope you will give me the benefit of doubt and continue reading.  When I was newly married and living on Hyde Park flats, my wife got a job childminding a beautiful Nigerian baby. We used toContinueContinue reading “The demands for racial justice and climate justice are two sides of the same coin.”

Sheffielder’s are giving nature a chance

One of the positives of lockdown has been how noticeable nature has become. With far less traffic noise people are noticing the birdsong. Wildlife like deer and badgers have been spotted in the city centre. With more time being spent in gardens people are noticing all manner of insects. Some Sheffielder’s have taken up theContinueContinue reading “Sheffielder’s are giving nature a chance”

An open letter to Cllr Julie Dore, Leader of Sheffield City Council

Cllr Mark Jones assured the public at Full Council in February that this year’s Council Tax letter would inform residents about the extreme threats of the climate and ecological emergencies (CEE). We were therefore extremely disappointed to open our Council Tax bills and read your letter, which only included one solitary sentence on this topic.ContinueContinue reading “An open letter to Cllr Julie Dore, Leader of Sheffield City Council”

We must listen to Africa and Asia

As I write storm Ciara is causing chaos in Sheffield. Trees are down, Cineworld has had its doors blown through and local roads are flooded. Not very far away, Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd have suffered severe flooding. Yet another example of the ever-increasing extreme weather the world is facing as a result of our overheatingContinueContinue reading “We must listen to Africa and Asia”

One year of climate emergency, but Sheffield Council still haven’t sounded the alarm!

In February 2019, one year ago, I presented the Sheffield Council meeting with a petition, pleading with them to declare a climate emergency. This they did, and later agreed to become carbon neutral by 2030. But what has happened to the urgency of this initial declaration? Other cities are making progress.  Sheffield, however, has failedContinueContinue reading “One year of climate emergency, but Sheffield Council still haven’t sounded the alarm!”

What next for the Climate Movement?

Extinction Rebellion made fantastic progress in 2019. They have been successful in raising awareness about the urgency of the climate crisis, which became a major issue in the General Election. But it’s been a very disappointing end to the year. We have seen the Conservatives elected with a massive majority, despite Boris Johnson not evenContinueContinue reading “What next for the Climate Movement?”

The Climate Election in Sheffield Central

54% of voters say climate change will affect how they vote, according to a recent poll. But which party will they vote for? As soon as the candidates were announced I wrote to the prospective MP’s for Sheffield Central, asking them about the climate crisis. I had two comprehensive replies, from Colin Ross the Lib DemContinueContinue reading “The Climate Election in Sheffield Central”