Women flag up climate-change issues

Women from a WI branch in north Northumberland have held a brainstorming session on climate change to thrash out concerns and to suggest possible solutions.
Green hearts featuring the concerns and ideas of the members of Rothbury WI with regards to climate change.Green hearts featuring the concerns and ideas of the members of Rothbury WI with regards to climate change.
Green hearts featuring the concerns and ideas of the members of Rothbury WI with regards to climate change.

The National Federation of Women’s Institutes is this week having a Climate Change Week and is asking all Institutes to think about environmental issues.

It comes as the Government is working on its plan to decide how the UK will meet its target for reducing emissions over the next decade.

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At the last meeting of Rothbury WI, members spent time thinking about various issues, which were written on green paper hearts to be sent to MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan in the hope that she will press the Government to make sure its plans are ambitious and meaningful.

Among the issues discussed include the control of flooding, which is a very pertinent issue for the Rothbury area; renewable energy, particularly on a micro-scale; offshore windfarms rather than onshore on farmland; disposal of nuclear waste and a reluctance to have China involved in the UK’s nuclear industry; more research into carbon capture and storage; reducing food miles by encouraging people to shop locally; and questioning why there are no longer subsidies for solar panels and micro-scale turbines.

On a more global scale, the need for more research into predicting weather extremes and to become proactive about the state of the Arctic – its people and wildlife – were also debated.

President Ros Allen said: “The WI doesn’t want this whole discussion stage to be brushed under the carpet and is keen to raise awareness that the Government is supposed to be doing things to meet its targets.”