GREEN campaigners are urging councillors in Winchester to reduce their carbon footprints.

Robert Hutchison, who chairs Winchester Action on Climate Change, is writing to all 57 members on the city authority.

He said: “Climate change is everyone’s issue and there is no prospect of getting the necessary global agreement to reduce worldwide emissions of greenhouse gases unless people in wealthy countries take responsibility for their carbon footprints and take serious steps to reduce them.

“It is the industrialised countries that are principally responsible for human-caused climate change. Elected politicians in wealthy countries need to give a strong lead.”

It comes after the city council’s chief executive, Simon Eden, became a member of Winacc in November.

He said: “It’s important we all take responsibility for our impact on our environment.

“This is a first step and my family and I are doing what we can to play our role in facing the major global challenge of climate change.”