ON Thursday, City of York councillors passed a Green Party motion to put York into a Climate Emergency. This was wholeheartedly supported by all the parties.

In the Second World War, the UK was faced by a threat in the form of Nazi Germany. The government instructed car factories to make aeroplanes, and even Rowntrees stopped making chocolate and manufactured dried foods for the front lines, and fuses for military use.

‘Dig for Victory’ meant that shared municipal space was planted up with crops to feed the local population.

The ‘Home Front’ engaged ordinary people to assist with supporting the military, keeping them focused and feeling positive.

There will be parallels with a Climate Emergency - or should be. The threat is far bigger - our civilisation, based on fossil fuels, has become toxic. It is the enemy, and the whole world needs to work out how to solve the problem.

We have many of the answers already. Somehow we need to Keep Calm And Carry On, but change everything we do to be low carbon, or zero carbon... or even carbon negative, like planting thousands of trees to sequester carbon and provide building materials and renewable biofuel.

The Climate Emergency will be a huge challenge, but with many opportunities for green jobs, technical innovation, collaborative working and learning how to live well in changed circumstances.

Young people and future generations will, I hope, be proud of councillors for taking this brave step.

Words need to become policies and actions, reviewed regularly, and be measured and assessed.

I look forward to playing my part in this.

John Cossham, Green Party candidate for Hull Road Ward,

Hull Road,York