Climate change protest to be held outside Dudley Council House
Frustrated eco campaigners are set to hold a protest outside Dudley Council House on Monday.
A group of climate-concerned citizens will gather at 5.30pm to send a message of disappointment to members of the authority’s climate change and environment scrutiny Committee before they meet at 6pm.
The protesters believe there has been a lack of action from the council since it pledged to declare a climate emergency two years ago.
Organiser and Stourbridge resident Mark Binnersley said: "I’m fed up with greenwashing by Dudley Council and am not seeing any evidence that its leaders are treating the climate crisis like a crisis.
"For example, the public is being duped with pronouncements about the council switching to renewable energy without actually revealing that the provider, Total Gas and Power, is a major fossil fuel corporation currently being dragged through the courts for greenwashing.
"And if we look at the area’s green spaces, apart from a few limited trials, the toxic weedkiller glyphosate is still being widely used and intensive mowing is depriving declining pollinators of food. The moment wildflowers bloom on any green space, along come the mowers."
He added: "Dudley Council could have much more impact if it engaged and educated the public on the climate crisis, and delivered tangible policies aimed at things like reducing personal car use and helping people switch to more sustainable diets."
Fellow Dudley resident Andrew Tromans, who has helped to organise the protest, wants to see a commitment to tackling the climate crisis from the scrutiny committee’s chair.
He said: "I recently became a dad for the first time and now, more than ever, I believe we need to act in the interests of future generations. To avoid catastrophe, we need to think global and act local. I’m asking for a plan of action from this committee and reassurances that Dudley Council is taking this seriously."
