Our demands to Birmingham City Council
Birmingham City Council declared a climate emergency on June 11th 2019. This is a very serious declaration. Birmingham Youth Strike for Climate believe the council is not taking the declaration seriously and thus we put forward these demands. We want the council to respond formally and publicly to our demands, it is in the best interests of all residents of Birmingham and of the world that they do so. To highlight the council’s failings, we will be targeting them in 6 areas where we feel they have contradicted the declaration of climate emergency. We want the council to Get Serious about the Climate.
- Communicate.
We want the council to communicate to the public in a way that is clear and accessible for all residents of Birmingham, especially on climate-related issues. The council should prioritise climate-related issues in their communications and ensure they are telling the public what they are doing to tackle the climate crisis. The council should make their website more accessible, provide more frequent updates on Social Media and inquire into ways to best inform the public of their projects.
- Change their Attitude
We want the council to recognise the severity of the issue at hand and change their attitude, now. We want the council to radically change their ways in order to adhere to the climate emergency they declared. We want the government to apply a ‘green lens’ to every potential venture, and allow nothing to disrupt the net-zero carbon target.
Projects like Tyseley Incinerator and Dudley road widening run counter to climate justice, and mean they will likely not meet the targets set in the declaration, this has to stop. A radical attitude shift is needed.
- Be transparent
Projects such as Tyseley incinerator and the Dudley road widening have been discussed behind closed doors, we think this is morally wrong for a city that claims to be green. We need the council to engage with BhamYS4C and with experts on how best to proceed given the climate emergency declaration, and we want them to do this with urgency.
- Take serious action
Birmingham city council declared a climate emergency on June 11th, yet their actions don’t reflect the severity of the declaration. The climate is in danger right now. We want the council to invest in green projects to create a foundation for a net-zero carbon future. The council should listen to the science and act accordingly as this is in the interests of each and every human. Decisions made should be in accordance with the principles of the Green New Deal to create a safer climate and fairer society.
Birmingham Youth Strike for Climate is targeting Birmingham City Council in 6 areas where we feel the council have contradicted their declaration.
- 1. Declaration of Climate Emergency
The council declared a climate emergency on June 11th, yet miraculously few publications on the matter exist. We demand that the council be proud of their declaration and thus act according to the magnitude of the declaration. We demand the council makes this declaration central to their ways of working, we demand a climate lens on every venture the council takes which should reflect the scale of the emergency.
- 2. The Net-Zero Carbon Target
We demand the council be clear and consistent with their targets for reaching carbon-neutrality. Whilst Birmingham city council says the target is 2030, the council have not acted as though this is the case. We demand the council do not allow their target to slip due to the dire effects this would have on each individual.
- 3. Tyseley Incinerator
We demand that the council issued a statement explaining their plans for the incinerator. We demand this statement include all of the climate impacts if the proposal goes ahead. We demand an impartial survey of local residents explaining, and gauging their views on the plan to renew the incinerator before any formal action is made.
- 4. Dudley road widening (and other non-green infrastructure)
We demand the council make clear what their initial plans for the widening of Dudley Road were. We demand the council explain why they planned to go ahead with a project that would allow more cars on the streets of Birmingham. We demand the council consult us before they engage in any project that will affect the carbon target of the council.
- 5. Green Projects
We demand the council investment only in green projects, we cannot continue with business as usual. The council has not been transparent with the public and it is time to be very clear about projects they are undertaking. The only way to meet environmental targets is to end all ventures that do not meet the carbon neutrality target.
- 6. Listen to the Future
We demand the council listen to the future. We demand the council listen to the youth, the overwhelming evidence in science and the best interests of all future residents of Birmingham. Greenwashing is not the way to go and we will not tolerate being used as a political prop or photo opportunity any longer. We demand change, now.
Birmingham awaits your response.
Launched May 2020
Birmingham Against The Cuts 
Reblogged this on Gogwit's Blog and commented:
I have lived in Birmingham for over half a century. Much of the article reblogged here is new to me; communication to the public, to council tax payers, of climate related issues is essential given that the council has declared a climate emergency – something else which was news to me.