One of the most important and effective things you can do for the climate is to contact your MP and local councillors to let them know you’re concerned about climate change. As one councillor said at one of our public meetings, “We aren’t telepathic, we need to know what our constituents want us to do.” So it’s up to us to tell them.
Who to write to
MP for Leighton Buzzard, Dunstable and surrounding villages
Alex Mayer MP, Labour can be emailed at alex.mayer.mp@parliament.uk
Our local councillors
Councillors are driven by their inboxes, so their time will often be dominated by potholes and parking; but if they receive a lot of emails about climate change, it’ll move up the priority list.
At election time, contact the candidates of the local political parties and ask them what they are planning to do about climate change.
Find your local town councillor’s contact details
Find your local Central Bedfordshire councillor’s contact details
Business leaders and the press
Writing to business leaders and to heads of major news and broadcasting organisations can be very effective. Tell them who you are, why you’re concerned about climate change, and what you’d like them to do about it (make more sustainable products available, stop wrecking the planet for profit, reporting more often, and more urgently on these issues, etc).
It’s particularly useful for all these people to hear from school children and young people, who will be affected by climate change for more of their lives.
Example letter template
We’ve produced the following example of a letter to give you inspiration, but it’s much more effective if you can make it more personal, and not just send a pre-written letter (or email) – but a physical letter will probably have more impact.
Make sure to delete any parts that don’t apply.
Dear [name],
I am a 12 year old schoolboy / schoolgirl attending [school] and am writing to urge you to do everything you can to make sure that my generation can look forward to a healthy, happy future. / I am a 65 year old grandparent resident in [town] and I am writing to you because I am genuinely worried about the kind of world my grandchildren will grow up in.
Despite all the talk, the Committee on Climate Change has found that the government is still not doing enough to tackle the problems. Please see: https://www.theccc.org.uk /publication /2023-progress-report -to-parliament/
This issue can no longer be ignored and I am asking you to do all you can in your position as a politician / business leader / faith leader / voluntary sector leader to make sure that our concerns are taken seriously.
Please tell me what you are doing already and make a commitment to do more, even if it is only speaking to others. The more people who agree that change is needed, the easier it will be to make that change. Who would not want a world in which we can breathe more easily and in which the risk of floods, droughts and forest fires is reduced? We need the natural world and the animals who live there for our own survival and also for our well-being. Nearly all of us enjoy birdsong, seeing animals and beautiful trees. Let’s do more to make sure that we continue to have a wonderful world.
Thank you. Please help.
[Your name]