The Climate Emergency: what, as Wells residents, can we do?

You may have seen the reports of the floods in Jakarta; it would have been hard to miss the horror of the fires in Australia.

Extreme weather events have been happening all over the world, and some very close to home.

As a result, you have probably wondered about what we can do individually to make a difference given the climate crisis. It can seem a daunting task.

People, as always, react in different ways, and for different reasons. There are outright deniers; there are people who are too scared to contemplate the consequences; there are people who want to do something but who don't know where to start; there are people who seek to find the causes and look for answers.

Whichever group you are in, you must be aware of the increasingly urgent statements coming from scientists and environmentalists.

David Attenborough recently appealed to us all. "We have been putting things off year after year. . .[but] the moment of crisis has come, we can no longer [avoid it]," he said.

"This is an urgent problem that needs to be solved and what is worse we know how to do it. We are refusing to take steps that we know have to be taken and every year that passes makes those steps more and more difficult to achieve."

Having declared a climate emergency last year, Wells City Council is now offering residents the chance to find out what we can do, as individuals and as businesses, and how we can create a resilient community to take us through the next crucial decade.

Through the launch of its Wells CAN Do project, the council will support individuals, businesses and organisations to make progress in the journey to lower carbon living.

The project, which launches with a community event on Friday February 7 at Wells Town Hall, will aim to support us all in:

• becoming more knowledgeable about reducing our individual carbon footprints,
• deciding where we will make reductions, and,
• building our community links by working together.

"As a parish council we are focused on reducing the city's carbon consumption. While sometimes it feels as if our impact is small, we know that the collective impact of small changes can be big," said Sarah Briton, chair of the city council's climate emergency committee.

"We want to work with the enthusiasm of local organisations and residents so that together we create that big impact.

"The project launch will be a celebration of local food and culture as well as providing an accessible guide to lowering our use of carbon.

"The city council is delighted to be working with three other local organisations to promote Wells CAN Do: Somerset Climate Action Network, Project Factory and Sustainable Wells. We welcome any others that want to join."

This is a free event, and aims to be fun, enlightening, inspiring and for all, whatever level of knowledge you have.

Book a place for the launch event either through the Project Factory website or through facebook/Wells Climate Action Network or by just calling in at Wells Town Hall.