Since the announcement of a Global ‘Parents’ for Future” Climate strike was made the ESG and The Nautilus Project have met up to discuss the coordination of a supporting action here in Gibraltar. They have issued the following joint statement:

The ESG and The Nautilus Project will be coordinating a Climate Change Strike on the 20^th September 2019, in support of the global protest “Parents For Future”. The strike will add Gibraltar’s participation to the worldwide initiative, which currently has 34 groups from 16 countries across 4 continents.

Organisers are presently talking to other NGOs and groups to galvanise support for the 20^th September Strike. Details for the march will be published shortly. This action is additional to the important marches held so far by students under the “#GIBSCHOOLSTRIKE4CLIMATE” banner.

A petition will soon be launched which will be presented to Government at the end of the march detailing issues which need to be urgently tackled, if the Climate Emergency Pledge is to be honoured.

The petition will be run online as well as via a number of signature gathering days over the summer and volunteers for this will be very welcome.

The ESG and The Nautilus Project believe it is time for everyone to participate in the biggest challenge facing humanity today and calls for public support.

Both NGOs will support all other peaceful protests held locally calling for action on climate change.

As Clean up the World organisers, the ESG wish to lend its voice to an issue that has been occurring at one of our local beaches, Sandy Bay, for the past few weekends. Large groups of young people have been heading for this great beach in the hotter weather and clearly enjoying what is the start of the summer season.

While some are witnessed as being conscientious about their plastic and carton waste, for a large number, it is all left on the beach where the groups have been lying. Not only does this make for an eyesore for the rest of the beach goers, it becomes a major threat to wildlife – an issue that has been widely and clearly documented.

The ESG has been in touch with Schools, College and Agencies and is grateful for the quick and positive responses from all to help improve the situation.

We hope that as a community we can all pull together and discourage such behaviour and preserve our open spaces to be enjoyed while at the same time, respecting our environment.

CUTW- a community wide campaign running now in its 15^th year – will take place on the 21^st September. There is clearly still work to be done!

“It may not be cool to care about litter …… but it sure is cool to care about wildlife!”  ESG

The ESG has been following the recent rolling out of renewable energy projects for Gibraltar with keen interest and hopes this activity will be sustained as we aim to reduce carbon impacts overall.

Additionally the ESG is also relieved that the Nuffield Pool site is being retained for local residents and that the historic plans mooted for a large hotel in the area been dropped. This area is incredibly special to the local community and is an escape for many for healthy and open-air related activity and relaxation.

It is also an important natural environment with stunning cliffs and landscape and so we strongly support the retaining of the Nuffield site and the open plan nature of future use as has been announced.

ESG AND CLIMATE CHANGE PETITION
21st May 2019

The ESG recently held a public meeting to debate the issue of climate change and Gibraltar’s role within it. Key environmental concerns on pollution and its various sources and relation to climate change were discussed and a presentation was given by the ESG on the group’s historic and current work.

The group will once again be supporting the 2nd youth protest for action on climate change this Friday and, as agreed at its public meeting, will be collecting signatures on the day for a Petition to all parties in parliament.

This direct petition to parliament will call for the house to endorse the following three items:

• an independent body to be set up with a mandate and timeframe to roll out a climate change action plan to fulfill Government’s stated carbon reducing targets
• cross party support and
• funding

The next ESG public meeting will be held very soon with a date to be announced in the media.

ESG Radio Newsletter 16^th May 2019

A few weeks ago and since our last press release on the recent increased activism witnessed locally and globally on Climate Change, the ESG held a public meeting which saw a good turnout and strong and sustained discussion on all key issues pertaining to Climate Change and Gibraltar. Our mtg followed a Govt statement that a Climate Emergency Pledge was to be declared before Parliament for support, with details on how to achieve the intended halving and eventual elimination of carbon emissions by stated dates.

Our group has lobbied and campaigned against pollution – a primary generator of carbon emissions locally and regionally – for close to two decades. We have also called for public debate to include all sectors and be ‘information based’ to inform and influence as much as possible in the shortest time possible. This is what Climate Change requires and an emergency requires urgent action.

We called a meeting to discuss all these issues openly as a first of others to follow. All attendees were invited to record their foremost concerns on the environment and climate change and the discussions threw up new issues and ideas on how citizens and NGOs can take things forward. Work is going on in these areas and more information will be published soon.

It’s clear that for many depoliticising the environment and supporting a clear Climate Change Action Plan managed with its own resources and dedicated team (with representation from all parties) was strongly supported.

The ESG welcomed the cross party support in the House for the Government led Climate Emergency Pledge which took place the day after our public mtg and are now in direct contact with Government calling for details of their action plan to be released earlier than the end of this year as was mentioned.

More news on these and other issues next week.

A date for your diary is our fifteenth Clean up the World Event being held this year on the 21^st September. After last years efforts and the feedback from teams its clear there is still a big appetite for this nationwide clean up that raises much awareness and has also helped shape the litter agenda in nature spots in particular and more broadly in waste management in Gibraltar. Please sign up if new to the Clean up by emailing esg@gibtelecom.net. All existing teams will shortly be contacted with information on this years campaign aims and actions.

The next Development and Planning Commission meeting will be held on the 30^th May at 9.30am at the Charles Hunt Room, John Mackintosh Hall. The next few DPC meetings could interest people following development issues in Gibraltar – meetings are held publicly and agendas published on the Town Planning website a week before the session takes place.

Get in touch for more information. Thanks for listening.