Green Moray Councillor Draeyk Van der Horn (Forres) successfully proposes local authority signs Edinburgh Declaration and supports Climate and Ecology Bill
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A LOCAL councillor has explained why gaining the support of his colleagues for a motion he created was so important.
Moray Council has signed the Edinburgh Declaration and agreed to support the Climate and Ecology Bill following the motion proposed by Councillor Draeyk Van der Horn (Greens, Forres).
“We simply must do more, he said. “We are facing the consequences of a crisis many of us are not equipped to deal with. We have failed to connect the dots and see the consequences of erratic weather patterns on our daily lives, such as the cost of food. This summer brought us the hottest day on record history in Scotland – now more heat, wildfires, drought and floods can be expected.
“As our seas heat up and rise, expect more loss of seabirds and sea life. Micro-plastic pollution is linked with cancer, neurotoxicity, obesity, hormone levels. We are captive to fossil fuel companies, gouging us for profit while families struggle to pay bills. We have failed to see that the natural environment that has been degraded to the point it’s failing to sustain us.”
The motion was seconded by Neil Cameron (SNP, Heldon and Laich). Signing the Edinburgh Declaration means Moray Council has agreed to support work to halt biodiversity decline.
Cllr Van der Horn said: “We as a council have a responsibility to step up as leaders in the community. There is no school system if we can’t promise kids a future, there is no health service if it crumbles with increased levels of illness, there is no warm home if we can’t access cheap renewable energy in well insulated homes, there is no food shop if our crops are wilting in heat one minute and flooded the next. There is no wellness in our community if it is stressed by this climate and ecological crisis.”
Local environmentalist Rachel Winter has been campaigning for Moray MP Douglas Ross to support the Climate and Ecology Bill at Westminster.
She said: “Nearly 1000 local people signed our petition to Mr Ross asking him to back the bill. Our local councillors have added their voices.”
