Lord Mayor,

We want this council to take strong and effective action to tackle climate change. Not just the 5% this council is responsible for but for the entire city. The most up to date scientific evidence from the Met Office's Hadley Centre for Climate Change warns.”There is no time to delay. We need to act now.”

Sir Nicolas Stern is a globally respected economist. He is a former
chief economic advisor to the World Bank and now chief economic advisor at the Treasury. His weighty 700 page report looked at the evidence and economic impact of climate change.

While rejecting Stern's continued belief in economic growth as the
primary measure of economic progress, and the fact that he ignored the most up-to date Hadley Centre's latest evidence (that highlights, through a series of images of the Earth over the next century, that unless dramatic cuts are made now – parts of the globe will be experiencing temperatures 3C above pre-industrial level by 2020) what Stern did say was very significant.

He promotes carbon pricing that, if set at a level that would be effective, would put the social and environmental impacts of business activity on the balance sheet and could be the first step in localising the economy. His report concludes that “The cost of action is small and in many ways is not a cost...but an investment in a low carbon world.”

Taking action on climate change would mean that Sheffield would begin to move away from its current fragile economic state. We would have an economy and communities that are stable, sustainable and vibrant.

This amendment calls for a robust tool in the form of a “footprint” to
measure just how much Carbon Dioxide Sheffield emits.

We are calling for targets to reduce emissions so that as a City we do our bit to keep below the 2 degree global average temperature rise that climatologists say will trigger run-away climate change.

We want the Council to develop the tools that ensures city-wide policies meet these targets.

But as a local authority can we make a start? Is the legislation there?

The Government's “Strong and Prosperous Communities” White Paper says “Local Government has a pivotal role in tackling climate change. Where appropriate Local Area Arrangements can: set targets; identify who is responsible and.hold them to account.”

So the legislation is there. What are we waiting for? Massive ecological collapse that would overtake us?

Over 170 authorities in the United States are challenging George Bush in his refusal to act to prevent climate chaos. They have heard the evidence and are taking a stand.

Does Sheffield want to be left behind or take a strong lead, and pull other cities into line behind us?”