PARIS Ben Pickles is glad Brant County and Brantford have made climate emergency declarations but he isn’t putting away his protest sign just yet.

“That’s just the start,” said the 12-year-old Paris boy. “Now they have to take action, they have to take steps to reduce their carbon emissions.

“It’s up to all of us to make sure they do.”

Ben said the urgent need to address climate change must become a global movement involving all governments.

A Grade 7 student in the gifted program at Centennnial-Grand Woodlands School in Brantford, Ben was invited by Brant Mayor David Bailey to read a resolution at this week’s council meeting declaring a climate emergency.

Inspired by Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg, Ben has been participating in school strikes for the climate in Paris.

“I was in Paris outside the council building with some of my friends and he (Bailey) saw me and invited us into his office,” Pickles said. “We talked about climate change and he asked me if I would come to council and read the resolution declaring a climate emergency.

“I said, ‘Sure.’”

Although Ben said he was a bit nervous at the council meeting, he got support from family — parents Karyn and Ian and nine-year-old sister, Molly — friends, members of the Brantford-Brant Green Party, as well as the council members.

He plans to take his climate emergency protest to the constituency office of Brantford-Brant MPP Will Bouma on Friday.

Councillors unanimously passed the resolution, which calls on the county to be carbon neutral by 2050.

“He’s a great kid, smart and very politically astute,” Bailey said. “He followed me pretty closely during the (municipal) election campaign and then one day I’m in my office and I look out the window and I see him and some of his friends out there with their signs.

“I invited them in and Ben asked me why I hadn’t declared a climate emergency yet.”

Ben reminded the mayor that he had promised to make the declaration and that a year had passed since he was elected.

“We had plans to do it on Earth Day but, when Ben reminded me of that, I just thought he’s right and we should get on it,” Bailey said. “When we decided to go ahead, I really wanted Ben to be the one to bring it to council.

“He did a great job and I’m proud of how he spoke. He has a strong social conscience and is a community leader.”

Bailey said the county has been experiencing the impacts of more intense storms and volatility of weather patterns.

“We’re committed to taking action to increase our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and strengthening the resilience of our community,” he said of the resolution.

“We will develop a plan to combat climate change and we will call on our residents to do their part.”

In declaring a climate emergency, Brant joins 470 other municipalities, the Canadian government and governments around the world in recognizing climate change as a clear and present danger and the need to transition to an ecologically and socially regenerative economy.

The county’s action follows the example set by city of Brantford councillors, who declared a climate emergency earlier this month. Councillors agreed to commit, in principle, for Brantford to become carbon neutral by 2050.

Brantford councillors also directed senior city administrators to develop a carbon reduction strategy in collaboration with the environmental and sustainability policy advisory committee and bring it back to council for review by August.

In addition to bringing attention to climate change, Ben is also leading Locks of Learning, an effort to raise money for a classroom in the West African country of Sierra Leone. He so far has raised $10,543. He kicked off his campaign last year by cutting his hair after letting it grow for about four years.

During the last federal election, Ben worked on the campaign of Brantford-Brant Green Party candidate Bob Jonkman.

Although he has his sights set on a political career, Ben said he has no plans to run for Brant county council or for mayor.

He is aiming higher.

‘I want to be prime minister,” Ben said. “Then secretary-general of the United Nations.”

Vball@postmedia.com

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