MANCHESTER could end up under water unless drastic action is taken to address global climate change, according to environmentalists.
Friends of the Earth put on an exhibition at Urbis in the city centre to demonstrate their worst fears, with members dressed as deep-sea divers and a mock-up of the museum under water.
One of the first to see the exhibition was Manchester Central MP Tony Lloyd, who said: "Friends of the Earth are doing a fantastic job raising public awareness of climate change. There's no doubt that the government could be bringing a bill to the House of Commons in a few weeks which will make us one of the first countries to have legally-binding controls on greenhouse gas emissions.
"That is a great success for the pressure Friends of the Earth has brought to bear. With Al Gore having been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his campaigning on climate change, it's important that everyone, not just here in Britain but around the world, demands that we get greenhouse gases to acceptable levels to save our planet.
"The science on this is pointing in one direction - that if we don't act things will get an awful lot worse. We could be heading for a global disaster. Weather patterns have been changing and we know all about this year's flood and crop failures.
"People around the world are dying because of this and we need to recognise this as a wake-up call for both people and politicians to take action." A draft climate change bill was published by the government earlier this year but Friends of the Earth says it contains some serious flaws.
The group wants the government to commit Britain to cutting emissions by at least three per cent a year. Strong legislation on climate change would make it easier and cheaper for individuals and business to be climate friendly, it says.
Campaigner Nick Geyman said: "Manchester is just one of the many cities which will be seriously affected if we don't take action now.
"If the bill is going to work, it needs to include annual targets based on the latest science and count all emissions including those from international aviation and shipping."
As well as the local action, Manchester Friends of the Earth is encouraging people to join celebrities like Jude Law, Gillian Anderson and Stephen Fry in an `online march', by recording a short video message to their MP demanding action and posting it on The Big Ask website, thebigask.com
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'City facing flood fear'
October 15, 2007
Showing comments 1 to 25 and replies | View All
mike kevan (15/10/2007 at 11:23)
The Bobelesque, In The Rye (15/10/2007 at 12:11)
Climate change is natural. Man is having little effect. You are being duped by the governments of the so called civilised world to save energy (oil). Say NO - burn an oil rag today.
dessie, manchester (15/10/2007 at 12:32)
Joey, Ashton under Lyne, (15/10/2007 at 12:44)
population of Greater Manchester: 1,220,000. Will the other 6 billion 601 million people please note that the Friends of the Earth are concerned about us and do everything to help. Thank You!
Pete (15/10/2007 at 12:50)
S P In exile, Tameside (15/10/2007 at 13:00)
Here is another gullible MP took in by the climate change brigade, it’s time these clowns learned that climate change is happening and it is not man who is causing it, anyone can go to the NASA site and see photos of Mars taken in 1995 with ice caps and 2005 no ice caps. It is the sun that is causing climate change, and there ain’t nothing man can do about that. We have had climate change before, in the 11th century we could grow grapes outdoors and winters were a lot warmer we had Mediterranean conditions it’s all there to be read and researched.
Governments should come straight out with it that it is just a tax excuse instead of all this baloney that they are try to save the world.
A couple of weeks ago I read an article that Manchester had been lifted 10cm higher through the city’s earthquakes so even less flooding than first thought.
ace, manchester (15/10/2007 at 13:17)
ace, manchester (15/10/2007 at 14:01)
Of course you would know? going to university and studying these climatic changes wouldnt you. You need to get a new job advising freinds of the earth on climatic changes over the history of our plane. I bet your book would be a best seller..Scientists have spent millions on studying the effects of pollution etc So i would think they have a better idea than you about how the planet works.
alvinlwh (15/10/2007 at 14:47)
alvinlwh (15/10/2007 at 14:48)
The Bobelesque, In The Rye (15/10/2007 at 15:12)
Indeed, last summer it was very hot and very dry. This year not very warm and drenched. Both were claimed by the enviro-cretins as due to global warming but which? Surely, if it is so predicable we would know what sort of effect gw is going to have - it it 2006 or 2007?
I'd prefer 2006 type weather. The fact is they have no idea - there are a lot of people earning good money from the global warming scam - like they did from the millenium bug. Wake up everyone - don't be so gullible.
Nick G, City Centre Manchester (15/10/2007 at 15:50)
10% of the world's population live in areas which will be flooded with just a 1 metre rise in sea levels.
Manchester is about 30 metres above sea level, so we aren't going to face the same massive destruction that other low lying countries (Bangladesh, Vietnam etc) will suffer. Unfortunately the MEN article took the point a bit too far...!
The whole point is to make the public think... if this was my backyard instead of the other side of the world, would I be doing more to help?
Joey, Ashton under Lyne, (15/10/2007 at 15:53)
The Bobelesque, In The Rye (15/10/2007 at 16:14)
Officials at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) are proposing that only UHT milk will be available by 2020, to cut down on refigeration in stores.
Silly people like you ace are giving them a stick to beat us with.
Dave Pickup (15/10/2007 at 19:33)
These people are trying to put the World on a strict diet and,as usual,it will be the poorest who suffer!
Neil Armstrong. Talking live, from The Blue Moon. (15/10/2007 at 19:47)
the earth has and will always have fluctuations in its surface temperature, i know we dont help and we should cut our dependancy on fossel fuels but this man made global warming myth is getting beyond the joke. there will be change ahead and we will have to adapt to it as best we can but to put all the blame on man, when fossel records prove its a natural occurance that fuels 90% of global warming, is just a tax making scam.
wkdboy1, Woodley (15/10/2007 at 21:32)
Ali A, Chorlton (15/10/2007 at 23:18)
a) Do nothing because you refuse to believe the scientific evidence that you've got a more than 90 per cent chance of crashing if you don't slow down?
b) Do nothing because you heard some bloke made it round the bend without slowing down the other day?
c) Do nothing because someone's bound to have redesigned the bend by the time you get there so you can take it at higher speed?
d) Do nothing because the nanny state has no right to tell you to slow down and you have the right to drive as fast as you want?
e) Do nothing because speed limits are just another money-making scam from politicians who want to tax people to death?
f) Slow down?
S P In exile, Tameside (16/10/2007 at 00:51)
The Bobelesque, In The Rye (16/10/2007 at 09:26)
http://www.john-daly.com/history.htm
It explains where this silly myth came from. Everyone should read it before making any further comment about global warming.
Chris, Irlam (16/10/2007 at 09:56)
Anyone remeber what happened 20 years ago? The Great Storm? No doubt if that happened next week our eco-nazi friends would be screaming that it was proof of AGW/MMCC. But, as it was 20 years ago and therefore before AGW/MMCC had been invented it was put down to natural weather phenomenon.
Bet you're gutted it isn't happening right now so you could use it as a stick to beat us with 'aint you?
Joey, Ashton under Lyne, (16/10/2007 at 10:44)
Imagine you're in a car that's speeding towards a sharp bend in the road and you see a sign telling you to slow down.
Where are these talking signs?
The Bobelesque, In The Rye (16/10/2007 at 12:11)
a) Do nothing because you refuse to believe the scientific evidence that you've got a more than 90 per cent chance of crashing if you don't slow down?
The scientific evidence if flawed because it is promulgated by people with an interest in keeping the myth going - research grants.
b) Do nothing because you heard some bloke made it round the bend without slowing down the other day?
Where is the environmental parallel to this option? You put it in for effect - like the scaremongers include details of sea level rises etc.
c) Do nothing because someone's bound to have redesigned the bend by the time you get there so you can take it at higher speed?
The scaremongers are now talking about the inevitability of the environmental catastrophe with such glee I'm surprised anybody can think of anything but filling sandbags.
d) Do nothing because the nanny state has no right to tell you to slow down and you have the right to drive as fast as you want?
This is the answer most would choose, including me.
e) Do nothing because speed limits are just another money-making scam from politicians who want to tax people to death?
This one came a close second as my option.
f) Slow down?
Will everybody else slow down? If not I will get left behind.
Call me Dave, Manchester (16/10/2007 at 23:45)
Ali the Greenie
Very clever - The latest greenie propaganda; compare climate change to well known and proven scientific facts.
The fact remains that the whole Greenie argument is based on computer models where thousands of results are cherry picked with the ones that fit are announced as proof!
In Ali's utopian world his speeding car analogy would never happen because cars will have been banned!
polkyb (18/10/2007 at 09:33)
I'll bet you that the government/greenies in 2025 onwards will be patting themselves on the back and saying what a good job they did.
Idiots the lot of them.