Environmental campaigners disrupt Sheffield City Council meeting

Members of Extinction Rebellion Sheffield, who were dressed in sombre black, staged a die-in and rang alarm bells.

The group also criticised Sheffield Council’s failure to meet the council’s self-imposed deadline to create a citizens assembly by December 31 2019.

Extinction Rebellion member Dr Bing Jones said: “Sheffield City Council is neglecting its duty.

“It has made no real effort to tell the people of Sheffield how risky it is to delay.

“The Tyndall Report that they commissioned requires massive CO2 emission cuts, now. They are ideally placed to initiate a wide and imaginative discussion but do nothing except delay."

This action follows recent criticism of councils across England who are set to miss their carbon emissions targets after a survey highlighted that almost half of local authorities in England do not know their own carbon footprint.

The alleged inaction from councils has also prompted calls from experts that a restructure of local level coordination to combat climate breakdown is necessary to meet the government’s targets.

Ahead of the action Extinction Rebellion Sheffield said in a letter: “SCC must tell the truth to all residents, through imaginative and visionary campaigns, including the use of the 2020 Council Tax letter.

“These communication campaigns need to explain clearly how urgent these emergencies are for the people of Sheffield, and the serious risks and costs if there is further delay in cutting carbon emissions.”