A low-lying island township close to the sea was warned that an unprecedentedly severe hurricane was soon going to hit the town, causing death and destruction Some people scoffed at the warning, saying we survived hurricanes before, it’s nothing unusual…
The community leaders said they had plans to deal with the situation which they would implement in due course. In the meantime they would keep the situation under review. A group who took the warning seriously called for immediate action and were ignored. They staged a protest. Some of them were arrested for scaremongering and disrupting the peace. Others who tried to leave for higher ground were stopped in case they started a stampede. There were others who saw an opportunity to profit and offered storm shelters at inflated prices. Sounds familiar?
A spokesman at the recent COP29 climate talks said ‘Today we are living in a climate emergency and still COP29 acts as if we have all the time in the world for transition. This must start among the rich countries, since they are responsible for 50% of emissions’. Germany’s foreign minister accused the host country (a large oil and gas producer) of favouring the rich fossil fuel emitters over the most vulnerable, such as small island states. The hurricane mentioned above would inevitably hit. The community would be destroyed if no action had been taken. The few survivors, scoffers and protesters alike, would struggle to stay alive. Global heating is on a trajectory to reach an alarming 2.8%. Action is vital.
The work party on 21st November at Hurston Warren continued the was of non native species. The following work party on 7th December at Sullington Warren was cancelled due to bad weather. We are due to meet again on 4th January at 10.00am at the Greyfriars Stable in Greyfriars Lane, for preservation work on the chalk grassland on Chantry Hill. A good opportunity to counter the Christmas bulge. No-one turned away!
For information about this and our other activities, or on becoming a member, or offering advice, please get in touch with Chairman Mick Denness on 01903 745971, or see our website: www.storringtonconservation.org.uk.
Finally, New Year greetings to all who care for our environment.