ENVIRONMENTAL campaigners staged a protest outside the Skipton Conservative constituency offices of Julian Smith MP.

Members of Skipton and Craven Extinction Rebellion were taking part in a nationwide protest on what the global campaign movement says is the Government’s failure to get to grips with the climate crisis.

Members pinned a letter on the constituency office door, calling on Mr Smith to speak out on Government inaction after congregating outside the council offices in Belle Vue Square and marching though the town to the offices in Otley Street.

The protest was timed to coincide with the recent publication of the Committee on Climate Change’s annual report to parliament which said urgent changes are needed to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

To bring attention to what steps are needed, members of the group put up signs of the committee’s recommendations to the windows of the offices.

After delivering its letter, the delegation, which the group says represented a much larger number of residents, stood silently, and social distancing, with banners and signs aimed at delivering the message that prolonged climate inaction from the Government is neither ethical or humane and will inevitably lead to destruction and the death of millions in the future.

A spokesperson for the Skipton and Dales group said: “The scientific evidence is absolutely clear. To aim for net zero emissions by 2050 is far too late and the Government are not even on track to achieve this.

“ It is to be sincerely hoped that they can wake up, listen to the science, and act now before it is too late. I hope they learn from the fact that their delayed Covid-19 response put thousands at risk, and that they act on the climate crisis with more urgency to ensure human safety over unsustainable economic growth. We have a unique opportunity now and I would like to compel the Government not to waste it.”

The spokesperson added: “I took part in the action because the kind of normality we know is not one I would like to return to post Covid-19.

“The slow response to the Covid-19 pandemic has led to an estimated 20,000 extra deaths in this country. It has been proven that inaction equals deaths and we urge the Government to build back better with an economic recovery that leads us out of this crisis whilst also protecting us from a climate crisis of a far greater scale.”

Extinction Rebellion is urging the Government to listen to the latest scientific findings which demonstrate that carbon emissions need to be reduced to zero much faster than the 2050 target to avoid dangerous global temperature rises.