Suffolk County Council scrapped its climate emergency declaration less than two weeks before a major wildfire tore across Dunwich Heath, forcing evacuations and destroying nationally important wildlife habitat.
Councillors voted on 16 July to rescind the declaration originally adopted in 2019. Thirteen days later, a fast-moving fire erupted on the Suffolk coast amid drought conditions, spreading across approximately 150 hectares—an area equivalent to around 210 football pitches.
