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Chichester is on the frontline of the climate crisis
Last week, I joined local organisations, UK Harvest and Sanctuary in Chichester, along with a fully booked audience for a screening of the People’s Emergency Briefing, hosted by The Ghost At The Feast (Ghost) food hall on North Street.
The screening is part of the National Emergency Briefing (NEB) project, a public-information campaign led by ten of the UK’s leading experts, including climate scientists, economists and the armed forces.
The message is clear: the need for action is now a necessity, not a choice. Yet successive governments have failed to adapt to renewables and a green economy seriously, guaranteeing misery for communities hit by flooding, wildfires and heat stress, while sky-high energy bills continue to fuel the cost-of-living crisis. We need to urgently invest in green infrastructure, innovation and skills to make a tangible difference by 2050 and boost economic growth, creating good jobs in every nation and region.
The argument is simple when you consider the price per unit for renewable energy against the price of oil and gas. The leading economist in the film estimates that a £4bn investment annually could take us on the green energy transition; a huge sum, but equal to the figure the government has just spent giving some households £100 towards their energy bills to help with the energy shock.
Chichester is already on the frontline of the climate crisis: we are a high flood risk area and at risk of drought and our farmers are navigating the changing climate on a yearly basis. I will continue to push to protect our precious chalk streams and hold Southern Water to account for the environmental damage to our waterways, but we also need a fundamental shift in Government policy and time is running out to make the meaningful changes that we need.
While the impact of the film was stark, there was hope and optimism in the work that local organisations are already doing to uplift our community. Joanna Lodge from UK Harvest spoke about their work around food waste and supporting food banks and community initiatives. Graham Hart, from Sanctuary in Chichester, outlined their work with refugees and their new community kitchen project. Some collaborative ideas suggested in the discussion are already underway and what was clear is that people care and they want to see action.
The discussion ended with a moving piece written by Ishraq, who settled here from her home in the West Bank, Palestine, describing the connection she feels with the earth when gardening in Sanctuary’s Chichester allotment. Through the food she grows and the community that grows with it, she reminds us how lucky we are to have so much natural beauty in our area, and how vital it is that we protect it.
If you are interested in watching a People’s Emergency Briefing, they continue to be shown in the local area and although it’s a startling watch, the message is hopeful and one that everybody should see.
