My first Climate Change Talks experience was COP21. In the delegates area they were negotiating the historic agreement to limit Greenhouse emissions to 2 degrees above global norms and hopefully 1.5 degrees. I was outside the delegate area in Paris speaking in a room somewhere to probably less than a dozen people. As part of my talk to the folks there I reflected on the fact that UK Local Authorities had received no communications from central Government about helping them reduce emissions to achieve the Paris Climate Goals. Sadly 3 years later this is still the case.This got me thinking, especially when it became clear that the carbon savings identified by national Governments, the 'Nationally Determined Contributions' were not going to be enough to limit emissions to the targets agreed at COP21 in Paris. So why not empower Regional and Local Authorities to play their part in achieving the Paris Climate goals? Why not encourage them to produce their own action plans to reduce emissions? So the concept of Locally Determined Contributions was born. This lead to it being referenced in 3 opinions (policy statements) of the EU Committee of the Regions and also 1 in the European Parliament.
Last year at COP23 in Bonn an agreement to develop Locally Determined Contributions was agreed at the Global Local and Regional Leaders summit. This was not the same as the UNFCCC agreeing it but was without doubt a significant moment and gave LDCs a global stage.
At COP24 in Katovice, for me, it is an opportunity to make a real difference. It is the Climate Summit that agrees the Rulebook for achieving the Paris Climate Goals. How we will actually do it. I am part of the EU Delegation and so Brexit means it could be my last chance to influence global climate change agreements. So its a big deal. There are loads of positives. The European Parliament have referenced and backed Locally Determined Contributions in their position statement going into COP24. In addition the statement from 'Non State Actors' the global groups representing Local Government, Trade Unions, Agriculture and other organisations have also backed LDCs. I am receiving great support from talented and committed staff at the EU Committee of the Regions and from global bodies such as Climate Alliance and ICLEI. All things seem possible at the moment. My diary is filling up for the week and I feel hopeful.
The ambition/hope is that Locally Determined Contributions fill the gap in emissions savings that we need to make to prevent runaway climate change. That 'Think Global Act Local' becomes a tangible reality fostering an enthusiastic international movement focused on creating not just a stable environment but a sustainable better world.
So wish me well. I have a sense of mission and an understanding that this could be a key moment. Like the emissions contributions I mean to achieve I remain determined. My clock is ticking and I have to make the most of every moment in the next few weeks. Here we go!
Here is 'Determined' by Andrison
LDC's are great in theory . Their impact in practice is limited heavily by Westminster funding in the UK. Manchester has recently stated commitment to some wonderful policies most of which are undermined by abysmal levels of government funding and further by a dreadful lack of autonomy . Practically every meaningful attempt to 'green' my home city is beyond the remit of local people , councils and MP's . Transport , housing, education, health , social services , infrastructure , taxation , housing benefit levels - are all determined by an antagonistic Tory ideology. All of these factor into not only the plausibility of change on an administrative level but also on a very personal level vis a vis priorities : survival, shelter, food and income . The only Green councillors are in the leafy, wealthy part of my borough of Trafford . My guess is that those that have successfully attained a comfortable level of personal living have the time and inclination to think about global issues - the rest are either protecting their wealthy privilege or concerned about how to change a system that leaves them insecure and lacking any prospects . For many years I supported the LibDems ( only for the promise of PR ) so I'm aware of the stigma attached to a party that is neither hard left or hard right and how hard it is to stand apart from tribal , ingrained political views . In my opinion the Greens need to take a position that is opposed to neoliberal ideology ( which is vehemently against anything but growth and profit - end of story ) and place itself as firmly on the side of : people , planet , ecology, justice ; and against unfettered, unregulated corporate avarice however that may manifest . At present that is clearly NOT the perception or place that Greens hold in the UK - they are a comfy person's luxury , not a poor person's saviour; a country folk's dream and an urban irrelevance. A group in Trafford ( Breathe Clean Air Group) do sterling work ; many other small groups work on a similar fringe way and badly need the exposure that a political party could ( with will ) promote as frontline policies to the wider public & parliaments.
ReplyDeleteThe Greens'success in Altrincham has less to do with any "comfy persons luxury" and more to do with a well organised and committed group of people, working bloody hard in their community. Greens were also elected in the Labour strongholds of Prescot, Birkenhead and Burnley.
DeleteThe Councillor who introduced the commitment to becoming zero carbon by 2030 was is from a ward that was almost lost to the Greens in May. That, in my opinion, is no coicidence.
Andrew these LDCs and making plans for a Green transition is what I see as lacking in the Extinction Rebellion. We (in the Green Party Climate Change Campaign Groups) have been talking about how we can make such plans as a part of the Green Party's next campaign after Breathing Cities. I think that making them for particularly 3 sectors - transport, food and energy - makes a lot of sense. Most things connect or are somehow linked with these at a council level. Maybe logistics and provenance or procurement can be argued as a cross-cutting or another sector, but I would say it fits into transport and energy by proxy.
ReplyDeleteAll of these need planned for transitions, if we aim to reach the 2030 targets set by Green Party Policy (or even in some cases the 2025 targets set by XR) rather than the laggardly targets of 2050 set by the Tories - though I think they are beginning to waver and trend toward 2040.
What can be useful is if we have beacon projects and councils (anywhere in the world, but EU, Northern EUrope or UK are better for our purposes of promotion) to showcase these, highlight what we have done as councilors and councils with a Green conscious and even more to provide contacts for others to follow.