Sceptic or not, Ipswich has no excuse not to adapt to a hotter future

As a person of a certain age — i.e. old — I do nod off during the day at odd times. During these periods, I have dreams. Some are straightforward; others are of the Martin Luther King Jr. kind (Gen Z people, ask someone old if you do not know who he is). In the next few columns, I would like to share some of these dreams.

I would not be a proper Green if I did not start with the subject of climate change.

It is immaterial whether you believe in the science of fossil fuel-induced climate change or not. You can see and feel that our weather is changing dramatically, and we need to adjust our lifestyle accordingly — or have our lifestyle changed for us.

We have an opportunity to change things for the better. What are you going to do?

We no longer need wide open spaces. In parks, we need cool areas sheltered by trees. I walked through Christchurch Park the other day, and people were huddling under the shade of trees, not lying in the wide-open spaces to sunbathe. We need shady spots.

Reintroduce the public water fountains that we used to have in parks and public places.

Community centres and public buildings in Ipswich should have cool spaces for people who live in flats, etc, so that they can cool down during heatwaves. Remember, it was estimated that 2,700 people died of the heat during the May and June heatwaves this year.

During heatwaves, turn Ipswich into a "Cool Town". Open shops later so that people can shop in comfort in the cooler evenings, helping to bring people into town to spend money in local businesses.

We need homes built to new specifications that are more resilient. Heat pumps and solar panels should be mandatory on all new houses and buildings. Remember, heat pumps cool as well as heat homes. Together they slash energy bills.

We need more sustainable energy production because it is cheaper. As a country, we could become energy self-sufficient. We are doing quite well so far, but still have to try harder. Develop more community energy schemes where we can share the advantages of sustainable energy.

We need public and private vehicles to convert to electricity as soon as possible. Buses should be electric. This will cut noise and air pollution.

Ipswich needs a proper traffic management system where cars, cycles and pedestrians are given equal status, to encourage people to use their cars less. More about this in weeks to come.

We will also need to keep our roads and pathways cleaner so that, in the downpours that are now a regular occurrence, the rubbish and leaves do not clog the drainage system.

We need water companies focused solely on producing clean water to sustain life and help our farmers produce staple foods. No longer should they concentrate on profit for shareholders.

Support your local Ipswich foodbanks, as food prices will continue to rise and food scarcity will increase as harvests fail or yields decrease. This will disproportionately affect those with lower incomes.

Appreciate the nature that you have. Climate change will affect the plants and animals we interact with. Some will disappear altogether from our area; some may be replaced by others.

All these changes are about helping communities deal with climate change in a positive way.

So far we have let climate change happen to us. Is it not time we took control, as it is our lives being affected?

What are you going to do?

Do not worry if you are a climate change denier or sceptic — you can still hold your belief. We will deal with the facts; however, you will still have to make changes to your lifestyle.

You can leave the worrying and activism to the rest of us who do understand the science and know that unless we act fast, things will get worse before they can get better.

I will end with another dreamer, John Lennon. (Gen Z people, surely you know who he is.)

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

(John Lennon — Imagine)

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