Climate protesters raise banner from famous Shrewsbury landmark

The column, which is the tallest Doric column in England, stands proudly in front of Shropshire Council’s headquarters at Shirehall. The banner, bearing the words, ‘Climate Crisis Act Now’, appeared early this morning in time to greet commuters returning to work after the bank holiday weekend.

Sal Mager, a spokesperson for the group, said: "Those who understand what is going on, what the science is clearly telling us, are shocked by Shropshire Council’s failure to act. The council declared a climate emergency back in 2019, but they continue to pursue carbon-heavy policies like the North West Relief Road, the demolition of Shirehall, and continued investment in fossil fuels through their pension fund."

The protesters point to the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report from the United Nations, which warns that the window to avert catastrophic climate breakdown is rapidly closing.

The report states that there is still time to avoid the worst effects of climate crisis, but only through a ‘now or never’ race to a low-carbon economy. In order to achieve this, greenhouse gas emissions must peak by 2025 and be almost halved by 2030. At present emissions are set to rise 14% by 2030. 

Says Ms Mager: "The latest IPCC reports clearly set out where we are heading if we don’t act now to turn the tide – and it is not a future anyone would wish on their children. We are already seeing the effects of global warming, with increased flooding, fires, fuel and food insecurity, and it is only going to get worse.

"There is actually still time to turn things around, but we have a very small window of opportunity and need to act immediately. What we do in the next year or two is critical. It is essential that we do our bit in Shropshire and the council needs to lead the way locally if we are to have any hope of a liveable future."