EXTINCTION REBELLION SHEFFIELD WRITES TO COUNCIL DEMANDING A HALT TO ROAD WIDENING

• At 08:00 on the morning of Monday 9th September, Extinction Rebellion Sheffield will disrupt roads around the Bridgehouses Roundabout.

• Sheffield City Council’s move to widen ring road undermines their declaration of a climate emergency and will increase air pollution and climate emissions. We have written to the council demanding they cease their expansion of the ring road.

Sheffield City Council is forging ahead with plans to widen the ring road. This brings more cars into the city, condemning our children to more air pollution and our world to more vehicular carbon emissions, worsening the pollution issues in a city where 500 deaths each year are linked to air quality. This £4.6mn investment, which will only cause increased traffic, would be better spent on higher quality, more affordable public transport and active travel options.

The report that SCC has commissioned from the Tyndall Centre has stressed the need for the council to cut its carbon emissions by 14% p.a - a target that the council has declared itself committed to achieving. Their commitment to expanding the ring road is not consistent with this target.

In response to this, Extinction Rebellion Sheffield has written to Councillor Dore, Cllr Mark Jones and Cllr Tom Finnegan-Smith with the following demand:

“Sheffield City Council have not taken action that makes their declaration of climate and ecological emergency meaningful. To have any chance of reducing carbon emissions and ecological damage, on a timetable proportionate to the risk and damage being done to lives in Sheffield and around the world, we need unprecedented changes led by every level of government - including local. This must mean stopping current road capacity expansion, and abandoning planning of more elsewhere. Unless SCC agree to stop building us into this dead-end, as concerned citizens they leave us no option: on Monday 9th September we will nonviolently rebel to disrupt their dangerous business as usual.

We regret that this will cause inconvenience to people in Sheffield.

We hope that SCC will show that it is truly committed to its declaration of a climate emergency by supporting our demand and acting with the consistency that the planet demands.”

Extinction Rebellion Sheffield will not allow our council to force us into an extinction dead end. On Monday 9th September at 08:00, we will block the roads around the Bridgehouses Roundabout and rebel for life. We hope that you will stand with us.

ENDS

Contact:

Nathan Strathdee; 07741490906, xrshefpress@gmail.com

Sam Wakeling: 07986963036, sam@wakeling.me

Facebook: Extinction Rebellion Sheffield

Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/480806319147111/

Twitter: @XRShef

Instagram: @XRShef

Website: https://www.xrsheffield.org/

NOTES TO EDITORS

Climate Factsheet for Rebels https://rebellion.earth/the-climate-factsheet-for-rebels/

About Extinction Rebellion:

Time has almost entirely run out to address the ecological crisis which is upon us, including the 6th mass species extinction and abrupt, runaway climate change. Societal collapse and mass death are seen as inevitable by scientists and other credible voices, with human extinction also a possibility, if rapid action is not taken.

Extinction Rebellion believes it is a citizen’s duty to rebel, using peaceful civil disobedience, when faced with criminal inactivity by its Government.

Extinction Rebellion’s key demands are:

The Government must tell the truth about the ecological emergency, reverse inconsistent policies and work alongside the media to communicate with citizens

The Government must enact legally binding policy measures to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2025 and to reduce consumption levels

A national Citizens’ Assembly to oversee the changes, as part of creating a democracy fit for purpose.

Get involved in Extinction Rebellion’s other events:

In the UK, come to one of our events, join the Rebellion Network and let us know how you can help out

Start a group where you are - locally in the UK or in your country around the world

Find your local group: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=11jUqqjTHMThksd4KbvGGzb3I3Cr3PkBl&usp=sharing

Check out the International XR website, with links to the French, German, Italian and UK websites. We are holding Collaborative Leadership Calls to help coach people to improve their leadership skills and capacities. And while your time and energy are the most important things, if you are financially able to donate money, see our Fundrazr crowdfunder.

UK website:

https://rebellion.earth/

International website: https://xrebellion.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExtinctionRebellion/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExtinctionR hashtag #ExtinctionRebellion

Declaration of Rebellion: https://rebellion.earth/declaration/

About Rising Up!

Extinction Rebellion is an initiative of the Rising Up! network, which promotes a fundamental change of our political and economic system to one which maximises well-being and minimises harm. Change needs to be nurtured in a culture of reverence, gratitude and inclusion; whilst the tools of civil disobedience and direct action are used to express our collective power.

Website http://www.risingup.org.uk/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RisingUpUK/

Twitter https://twitter.com/RisingUpUK