I am writing more in sorrow than anger. I write in frustration at the crazy world we live in. I want to confess to my failures in a church. I am a Christian but not a Roman Catholic.
I believe I have had a highly successful career. I have achieved all the objectives I’ve set myself. I am proud of my achievements in the 42 years I have lived my life here in Taunton. I have been blessed with good fortune all the time. My luck has known no bounds. So why this sense of failure despite having led the now defunct Taunton Deane Borough Council for 10 years, as well as being Mayor of the Borough too some nine years later in 2010?
There is …That of God in everyone according to my Christian witness...and other biblical statements such as: Let him who is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone. Remember the Garden of Eden and Eve taking the forbidden fruit in Chapter 3 of Genesis.
Let’s cut to the chase however. What role can we citizens of South Somerset and Taunton in particular play Ito mitigate the possibility of Armageddon with climate change impacting on our lives?
What can we do to stop temperatures melting both the Antarctic and Arctic ice flows which will raise the sea levels by some 20 feet by 2090.
Taunton would be submerged at this point as the River Tone is only 20 feet above the Bristol Channel at high tide now in 2024! How do I maintain the desires of my grand children to enjoy the happiness and attain their own desires against this sort of background?
Governments world wide must reset their agendas NOW and plan as best they can to stop the impact of El Niño which is causing the likelihood of disaster in the Southern hemisphere.
We must SUPPORT Greta Thunberg in her insistence of taking direct action to put world governments on alert as well as all her followers.
The UK has an important role to play. Not only did the UK government ostensibly host the Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (Cop 26) when Boris Johnson was Prime Minister but followed this up when the next conference was held in Cairo.
The promises made have almost all been set aside. We talk endlessly of … “the need for growth...when the exact opposite is IMMEDIATELY REQUIRED.
We MUST reduce consumption of all goods and simultaneously stop any investment in fossil fuels by the large oil companies. These companies are only interested in profit and in the vanguard of leading to self immolation of this world we all so treasure.
So back to cutting the chase. Keir Starmer, you are failing in sorting out your priorities. Show REAL leadership and get a grip of what really matters to humanity.
Jefferson Horsley, via email
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