Zack Polanski with Sheffield Green Party candidates for 2026 and Councillors.
Zack Polanski visited Sheffield in January to deliver a powerful speech followed by a wide-ranging Q&A with the audience. This full recording captures the key themes discussed on the night, along with questions from local attendees on politics, community action, and the direction of the Green Party. If you’d like to get involved with Sheffield Green Party join us today. Zack will be returning to Sheffield on July 5th with his podcast Bold Politics.
Here is the full speech in Victoria Hall, Sheffield.
Zack Polanski says, “We know people are increasingly rejecting the old politics of the Labour and Conservative Parties, but we know that the Right are on the move. It’s really important we reject hate and division, and what the Green Party are offing is the politics of community, solidarity and tangible change. Far too many people are worried about their rent, paying their energy bill or their water bill. It feels like we’re running all the time to stay on the spot. Getting Greens elected on the local Council means getting people who will stand up for our community spaces, our libraries, to make sure that community investment is coming to the High Street”
Sheffield Green councillors with Zack Polanski: (l-r) Cllr Ruth Mersereau, Cllr Douglas Johnson, Cllr Alexi Dimond, Cllr Marieanne Elliot, Zack Polanski, Cllr Angela Argenzio, Cllr Paul Turpin, Cllr Brian Holmshaw
a short blog by Joe Buckley
To mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities and UK Disability Historymonth, Sheffield Green Party makes clear that the climate crisis is a disability justice issue.
Disabled people across the world are on the frontline of climate breakdown, facing higher rates of injury, illness and death in climate disasters.
Disabled people endure the sharpest impacts of poverty, inequality, and marginalisation.
This means they are systematically denied the resources needed to withstand and recover from climatic disasters and economic shocks.
Many disabled people find it harder to reach safety in the event of evacuation due to extreme weather, while climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction mechanisms are often not disability-inclusive.
Disability activists and organisations have been organising and campaigning on this for years. At a global level, The International Disability Alliance (IDA) and others have been pushing for disability inclusion to be embedded in COP outcome documents. At the recent COP30, movement pressure helped to secure a just transition action mechanism which explicitly recognises the need for disability-inclusive universal social protection as essential for climate resilience. Greens fully support this.
This comes at the very moment when we need stronger, not weaker, disability-inclusive social protections. These policies deepen inequality and make our communities less resilient to climate and economic crises.
Councillor Marieanne Elliot said “Disabled people and carers must not be made to pay the price for a broken and underfunded care system when removing essential support will deepen hardship and cost more in the long run.”
Councillor Angela Argenzio said “There are choices that the Government could take, but choosing to target the most vulnerable people is ethically and morally unjust.”
“Disabled people live on average 20 years less than able bodied people and there is more that must be done to bridge that gap in life expectancy.”
Climate justice is disability justice. To build a fair, resilient future for everyone, disabled people must be centred as leaders and partners in shaping solutions. The fight for a liveable planet is inseparable from the fight for disability rights, justice, and dignity.
