• THE climate and ecological crisis is a global issue, but local action is part of the solution.

So why is your local Labour Party strongly equipped to combat the climate crisis? It starts with climate justice.

The Labour Party was created on the backdrop of equality and human rights, and the climate crisis is at its core – a human rights issue.

Anthropological climate change affects those most vulnerable in society, globally, and locally.

Climate shocks are becoming frequently more common in Camden. I was devastated to see people from our community forced out of their homes by floods in South Hampstead.

This, coupled with the global temperature rise, is also affecting the quality of the air we breathe and therefore our health and livelihoods.

If elected, South Hampstead Labour candidates Izzy Lenga, Will Prince, and myself will ensure that Camden leads the way on net-zero – leaving no one behind.

We will push for an ever stronger climate-centred council offer. We will put pressure on Thames Water to replace and upgrade drainage systems, and prioritise new cycle hangars and electric charging points.

We will also work with community groups to plant more trees in estates and on congested roads, research the use of green walls, and ensure playgrounds are accessible and sustainable to all.

We will organise local litter-picks, encourage local shops to use less plastic and push for electric car schemes that are affordable, not just for the few.

I heard a beautiful quote recently from the Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate: “An ocean is like a million drops, yet an ocean would not exist without each drop”.

As the weather warms, in the advent of longer days in the hot summer months to come, this is a time to reflect on our planet’s health, on our own health, and on our children’s futures.

Local action is part of the solution, and the Labour Party will put people and planet at the centre of local change in South Hampstead and Camden.

NINA DE AYALA PARKER
Labour Candidate for South Hampstead ward