Weather, Jobs and Wiltshire's Recovery

The climate emergency. This phrase is met with a mixture of emotions: frustration, anger, helplessness, and anxiety.

Some may deny that this emergency exists but the effects are being felt across the globe. The potential effects outweigh the past year of the coronavirus.

Worryingly, the planet's global temperature has increased by 1°C since the mid-1800s.

Whilst this doesn't sound like a huge number, if it were to rise any further the Great Barrier Reef would shrink by up to 90%, dangerous heat waves will become an annual occurrence and up to 50% of the population will struggle to access drinkable water.

Scores of insects, plants and vertebrates would be at risk of extinction and their habitats destroyed.

In the UK last year, the destructive consequences of climate change took their toll on communities.

The North West moorlands went up in smoke, Somerset flooded, farms in the South were scorched and dried out, and coastal places in areas like Norfolk continued to slide into the sea. As the weather changes and the worrying signs of climate change creep up on us, we must take action to combat the effects of climate change.

It is vital that we rise from the ashes of coronavirus and kickstart a green recovery. With youth unemployment in Wiltshire at its worst ever levels, we must take this opportunity for a green recovery.

Wiltshire Liberal Democrats are Leading Wiltshire's Recovery. Sign up to hear more about our plan for Wiltshire.