Encouraging Support at York Residents' Green Future Debate

More than 200 residents of York turned up to voice their concerns at a climate meeting on Friday 27 November that was co-organised by FOE York and Ryedale. Speakers included Hugh Bayley MP, City of York Council leader Andrew Waller, Dr Andreas Heinemeyer, Environment Scientist at the York based Stockholm Environment Institute, and Mike Childs, Head of Climate for Friends of the Earth.

With the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen just days away, York's political big guns took the opportunity to discuss the city's response to climate change at a public meeting which concluded with a 'Question Time'-style debate over a green vision for the city.

The event was chaired by eco-author and columnist Kate Lock, who co-organised the meeting which took place at the Friends Meeting House, with Fairtrade author Jeremy Piercy and York and Ryedale Friends of the Earth.

We took the opportunity to ask the panel questions about our climate campaign, Get Serious About CO2 in which we are calling for the council to commit to cutting York's greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% by 2020 in order to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.