The island’s Green Party is calling on Ministers to ask the UK Government to extend the 2015 UN Paris Agreement on climate change to the Isle of Man.

Its move came after Chief Minister Howard Quayle announced a climate change emergency.

The Green Party said that announcement of a climate emergency in the UK has called into question plans to extend Heathrow airport.

It said in the island, Mr Quayle’s announcement will call into question licences to extract hydrocarbons from the Manx seabed, and the zoning of greenfield land for the building of 5,100 homes under the 2016 Strategic Plan.

The Isle of Man Green Party said that in order for the island to act as a responsible jurisdiction, government Ministers should confirm that they will now ask the UK Government to extend the Paris Agreement on climate change to the Isle of Man.

Its letter to Ministers reads: ’Will you ask the Council of Ministers to pass a resolution agreeing that the Isle of Man Government request the UK Government extends to the Isle of Man its ratification of the Paris Agreement to the UN Convention on Climate Change?’

The Paris Agreement would not be the first climate change agreement to be extended to the Isle of Man, it pointed out - in 2002 the Manx Government agreed to ask for the extension of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.

This subsequently extended in 2006.

Landmark

The United Nations describes the Paris Agreement as a landmark agreement to combat climate change and to accelerate and intensify the actions and investments needed for a sustainable low carbon future.

It brings all nations into a common cause to undertake ambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects.

Bill Henderson MLC has written to all Tynwald colleagues and government departments urging action to be taken now on climate change.

He attached a full copy of the Climate Change speech by teenage activist Greta Thunberg to the UK Parliament - and also photographs taken in the island apparently showing a haze of industrial pollution.

Mr Henderson said: ’Our Chief Minister is recognising the very real crisis that is affecting us now, and the huge effort we all will have to make individually and globally even though many of us don’t realise it, or don’t want to realise it.

’We must support our Chief Minister and it may be that we have to bring forward the target date of 2050.’

Haze

He said the photographs he had taken show a blue haze over the Creg ny Baa area looking towards Noble’s Hospital, Douglas Head and South Barrule.

The MLC said: ’Our air quality must have been very poor at this point.

’I have checked with our Met Office that the blue haze which shrouded the island for around two weeks was industrial pollution, and it confirmed that much of it was.

’So to those who don’t think there is a problem, and it is not affecting us - think again!’

Mr Henderson added: ’Pollution of this magnitude is one of the issues Miss Thunberg is highlighting and it is very definitely affecting us, and we are contributing to it.

’It is a scientific fact that communities suffering high air pollution are experiencing greater ill health effects and higher mortality rates.

’It is a significant contributor to climate change.’