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Andrew Grifffith, prospective parliamentary candidate for Arundel and South Downs, headed to South Harting Community hall recently to answer questions on the life or death emergency of the climate crisis.

About 100 people attended the meeting held in South Harting Community Hall which was chaired by Rupert Grey, chair of the Nekton Foundation. Lord Nicholas Stern was one of those who attended.

Mr Griffith is clearly used to meeting constituents and is known for making the effort to meet local people, even if they, as in this instance, didn't all see things as he does.

Andrew Grifffith, prospective parliamentary candidate for Arundel and South Downs.

Questions were far reaching -

Britain was the World leader in responding to the Climate Crisis until 2016. Three years ago the Conservative government reversed their policies, watering down targets, granting oil licences, without raising carbon tax. There was a reduction of subsidies for renewables, and increase of subsidies for the fossil fuel industry to the tune of £2bn in 2021 for new extraction and mining. Why? This is completely inconsistent with the Government's stated intent to put net Zero at the heart of its policy decisions.

Why does the Government not insist on carbon neutral new housing with solar/heat pumps/grey water storage, with separate systems for rain water and sewage?

Why is there little enthusiasm for Community Energy? Why is the National Grid not geared up to cope with this and renewable energy?

Investment in renewables is a once in a century economic opportunity and the best chance we have of preserving our climate, YET the Government is cutting down on its support for investment in renewables.

As Lord Nicholas Stern, who attended the meeting, put in his review: "This is the greatest and widest-ranging market failure ever seen. We are missing the one chance to row back from the climate crisis."

The stern review's main conclusion is that the benefits of strong, early action on climate change far outweigh the costs of not acting .

There is an absolute need to put the Climate Crisis as our top priority when voting on July 4. We cannot be lemmings allowing ourselves to be catapulted over the edge.

Jane Healey

Village calls candidate to account