COP26 countries cop out!

This hygiene kit isn't working. COP26 still stinks

 At COP26 yesterday I went to the UN Environment Programme's Press Conference to watch them present the findings of their 2021 Emissions Gap report. This is where UN scientists get their chance to number crunch the pledges that countries have made to reduce their carbon emissions and see if they have any significant impact on helping achieve the Paris Climate goals. The short answer is a big NO.

The panel were pretty scathing. " There's a leadership gap not an emissions gap" was damning of the world's political leaders. One particular point they made was countries that were making Net Zero by 2050 statements with no convincing plan to achieve them. Australia being the most obvious example.

If (and it is a very big if) we believe all the countries statements produce the emissions then we are still heading to miss both the 1.5 and 2 degree C Paris Climate goals. The UNEP report says we need a 4 fold increase in ambition to reach 4 degrees temperature rise and a 7 fold increase to achieve 1.5 degrees. It is that stark.  That is all if they keep to their promises. 7 of the G20 countries are currently 'off track' with their carbon savings so that is to say the least unhelpful.

What now? We have 3 days left. Apparently Boris is coming back to the COP summit. Given a large part of this process is about keeping commitments and trust  why does that not fill me with confidence?

Here's Juice Media's from Australia's take

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PRESS RELEASE Green Councillor proposes making Government Insulation scheme free to all.

Green Councillor proposes making Government Insulation scheme free to all.

The Government has announced a scheme to start in September that would provide grants of up to £5000 for insulation work on peoples homes but still leaving them to find a third of the costs

Kirklees Councillor and Green Party Energy Spokesperson Andrew Cooper has proposed making the scheme free to boost the take up by householders, ensure quality work is carried out and so help reduce fuel bills and carbon emissions.

Councillor Cooper said

"This scheme falls well short of the Green Party's proposal for a Green New Deal in terms of funding and scope but there are still positive things we can do to improve the scheme announced by the Chancellor."

“When Kirklees ran the free Kirklees Warm Zone project between 2007 and 2011 we insulated over 50,000 homes and it was the biggest scheme of its kind in the country. What really made the scheme fly was the Green Party amendment to the 2007 Council Budget  that made the scheme free for all applicants. This is what we should be doing with this scheme.”

“With the cost of capital borrowing so low at present the Council can use its financial leverage to top up the Government proposal ensuring people don’t have to dip into their pockets during a time of recession and job losses. Really the Government should make the scheme free but in the absence of that Councils like Kirklees and across the Country could fill the gap and make the difference. Existing funding via Regional Sources such as the West Yorkshire Combined Authority could also play a big role in financing such a scheme ”

“For householders the hundreds they will save oon their energy bills  means more money in their pockets at a time of huge financial uncertainty. The impact on reducing our carbon emissions will also be significant,”

“The involvement of local councils in the scheme will help with local promotion and also provide local accountability helping ensure quality of work”

“ This level of funding could allow us to carry out insulation work on hard to treat cavity walls, provide external wall insulation, attic room and under floor insulation. It is a huge opportunity if done properly wih a focus on quality work.”

“ Kirklees has the opportunity once again to be a national Leader in action on Climate Change and show through example what can be achieved with imagination and political commitment. If other Councils follow our lead we could make the scheme free for millions across the UK. “

Kirklees Green Group - 2020/21 Kirklees Council Budget proposals

Last year Kirklees declared a climate emergency in response to the clear message from the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that we have a limited time to reduce carbon emissions to levels consistent with a viable environment for human civilisation. This amendment aims to take Kirklees on to the next stage of our journey to become a Net Zero Carbon Local Authority in line with the 2038 target set for us through our membership of the Leeds City Region. We also need to ensure that regional funding is not used to provide tacit support to Leeds Bradford Airport expansion plans that threaten the viability of our emission reduction targets.

Kirklees New Build Passivhaus support fund

 Current informed estimates suggest a 5%  - 7% uplift in the capital cost for buildings built to Passivhaus standards when part of a consistent policy. This fund would ensure that all projects commenced on Kirklees owned land were properly resourced to achieve that higher energy efficiency standard, be they lead by the Council or part of a partnership arrangement using council owned land.

Kirklees Green New Deal Demonstrator

Following the Kirklees Warm Zone programme the next significant energy efficiency goal would be to carry out significant work on hard to treat properties particularly those with cavities that can only be filled using polyurethane foam. There is also a need for a room in the roof insulation project for homes that cannot receive mineral fibre wool insulation due to attic rooms. The aim would be to provide free insulation to 4000 properties as a showcase to other local authorities and national government. Within this project we would also expect 25% of the funding to be allocated to properties in fuel poverty and that they benefit from a whole house approach aimed at achieving the ‘Enerphit’ standard.

This project will demonstrate to national government the benefits and practicalities of applying ‘HS2’ levels of funding to domestic energy efficiency to achieve our Paris Climate goals, address fuel poverty, create skilled jobs and regenerate local economies.

Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing Carbon Reduction Fund

Following years of energy saving initiatives this Fund will be used to carry out pathfinding work to demonstrate how we will drive down emissions still further to levels consistent with a 2030 zero carbon target. The aim will be to achieve as close to the Enerphit standard as is practical. We are also calling on Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing to transfer homes to a low cost green energy provider when they become void.

Community Climate Action projects – Place based working 

We propose that the next round of Place based working funding is to be allocated for community lead climate action projects. This could support a range of community lead projects e.g. tree planting, reducing the carbon impact of community owned buildings, flood alleviation, community transport initiatives.

Purchase Renewable Energy 

We are calling on Kirklees to ensure that the Council’s electricity is sourced from verifiably renewable sources.

Schools Climate Change Education Project

This project will provide grants to schools promoting projects that reduce their carbon emissions linked to an education package. It is anticipated that projects such as the installation of solar panels, energy saving measures and tree planting in school grounds

Join the Global Covenant of Mayors

The Global Covenant of Mayors is where local governments in alliance with partners accelerate ambitious, measurable climate and energy initiatives that lead to a low-emission and climate-resilient future. This will allow us to assess our progress with international partners and collaborate with our peers in Europe and beyond. This does not mean lots of air travel but is about learning from best practice and hopefully demonstrating our best practice on a bigger stage. Kirklees is not a leader in action to reduce carbon emissions yet. We can learn a lot from others.

Conversion to electric vehicles project

There is a large potential for conversion of petrol/diesel vehicles to electric at a fraction of the cost of a new vehicle. This proposal is to establish a pilot project to demonstrate the potential for this in the Kirklees District.

Support the establishment of the Kirklees Climate Commission – through funding the secretariat and supporting analysis and reporting

The engines of death ride the sky

Memory is a strange thing. Why do some memories stay in your head and others go. I remember as a child reading 'The Trigan Empire' that was a comic strip featuring the history of a civilization on the planet Elektron. It was serialised in the now defunct 'Look and Learn' comics with brilliant illustrations and imaginative stories. These words from the comic popped into my head recently "the engines of death ride the sky". A bit of a search on Interweb and I found the actual quote on the actual page of that mammoth comic series.

So why did those words pop into my head?  I was at the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Zero Emissions Transport Group last week. Consultants had brought us scenarios of how transport in the Leeds City Region could play its part in reaching our 2038 Zero Emissions target. They showed us all about 'modal shift', getting people out of cars and onto public transport, or into low emission vehicles, or bikes, or walking and how that might occur with different levels of policy commitment. They even mentioned our regional Leeds Bradford Airport and talked about the emissions being generated from all those planes BUT they only were obliged to measure domestic not international flights. 

This is a global issue and has been sort of, but not convincingly addressed in the 2016 International Civil Aviation Organization agreement. This is a largely voluntary agreement whereby the carbon emissions for flights are supposedly offset by tree planting. This is a case of the aviation industry regulating itself. The scheme doesn't start till 2021 and it is voluntary till 2027. It doesn't comply with the Paris Climate Agreement targets and even if it works as described it will take till 2050 to reduce emissions by 50%. While all this aviation emissions reduction is not really going on, airports like Leeds Bradford have big expansion plans and West Yorkshire Combined Authority are assisting them.

So yes, truly, the engines of death do ride the skies unimpeded and assisted by public money.

COP24 - Green success at Global Climate Talks

Councillor Andrew Cooper at the COP24 Climate Talks

Green Party Energy Spokesperson Councillor Andrew Cooper was part of the EU Committee of the Regions Delegation attending the COP24 Climate Negotiations in Katovice Poland last week. He is a Councillor in Kirklees in West Yorkshire.

The COP24 Climate Talks took the important step of deciding how the Paris Climate goals of limiting Global Temperature increases to 1.5 degrees centigrade were to be achieved. The talks established the ‘Rulebook’ for achieving  tough carbon reduction targets. Many have rightly  been concerned at the lack of ambition in the final agreement and in particular the lack of recognition by the United Sates, Russian and Saudi Arabia who seem to put oil interests ahead of a safe climate for the people of the world.

Councillor Cooper said, “My mission at COP24 was to get more action at the local and regional level and push the United Nations to acknowledge the need for National Governments to do much more to reduce carbon emissions. What we knew before the climate talks was that National Governments had not agreed enough carbon savings to limit a global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees to ensure we had a reasonably stable climate to pass on to future generations.”

“Countries Carbon Emission targets are described under UN rules as Nationally Determined Contributions. I had proposed, and got EU backing, to call for a new category of Locally and Regionally Determined Contributions to encourage local and regional governments, below the State level, to take more action to reduce their carbon emissions. There was real progress towards this goal in the final statement signed up to by World Leaders in Katovice.”

There is now a statement in the final text on how to assess  Nationally Determined Contributions that refers to preparing implementation plans to include “domestic institutional arrangements, public participation and engagement with local communities”. This statement gives a much greater role to Local Councils and Regional bodies in the UK and around the world.

Councillor Cooper said, “ I’m very pleased that we managed to get such a strong statement out of the COP24 Climate Talks from over 200 governments from around the world. In a UK Context we need to be asking what our Government will be doing now to work in partnership with  Local Government and devolved administrations to help reduce carbon emissions. A growing number of Councils have now declaring a Climate Emergency following the IPCC Report that showed we have less than 12 years to reduce emissions to a level compatible with a stable climate. Now is the time to back up those declarations with solid actions.”

COP24 Update - Nothing is guaranteed.

The headline for the outside world with COP24 is the refusal by the USA, Russia and Saudi Arabia to

COP24 - Katovice - Poland

do anything other than 'note ' the IPCC report saying we only have 12 years left to get our house in order to keep the average global temperature rise to a survivable 1.5 degrees. I say 'the outside world' because a lot of the time you are inside. COP24 very much has the feel of an International Space Station (with gravity!). You don't see much of the outside world. You could be anywhere, in any part of the world. You're also very conscious that people from every part of the world are there as well. The experience for most attendees is probably equivalent to a Festival of Climate Action. In the various meeting rooms, every possible aspect of climate change, climate mitigation and climate adaptation is

Miguel Canete - EU Climate Change Commissioner

discussed in depth. Now and again there will be a star turn. Top of the bill yesterday was former US Vice President Al Gore giving a bravura presentation on the 'State of the Climate' with ongoing criticism of the shortsightedness of governments and businesses.

My mission at COP24 was very clear to me. To focus on the issue I had conceived and promoted for the last 2 years, 'Regionally and Locally Determined Contributions' - RLDC's. It's hard to make a subject with this title sound engaging. What exactly does it mean? The short explanation is that just as we have carbon emission savings identified for nations, Nationally Determined Contributions - NDCs, we also should have savings identified for Councils and other political bodies at the Local and Regional level - RLDCs. To engage the power of the local could

With CoR Vice President Markula at the EU Commission Briefing

help bridge the gap between the emissions we need to save and those identified in the NDCs. So if it works the difference between achieving and failing to achieve the COP21 Paris Climate Goals.

So I've been away from home for 10 days and frankly want to get back. At COP24 I've made a number presentations and press interviews as well as participating in briefings on progress of the talks. The key one for me was with EU Climate Change Commissioner Miguel Canete where I asked for strong support for RLDCs but also the ongoing involvement of Local and Regional Authorities in developing policies and strategies to address climate change. It's not going to be as easy an ask as you might think. COP stands for 'Conference of the Parties' and the Parties are Governments. Giving LRA's their own contributions is regarded by some as ignoring the agreed structure of global action on climate change.

Presenting on RLDCs in the EU Pavillion

So even if it makes perfect sense to seek to resolve climate change in this way it may be politically difficult to deliver.

What we do know is that there has been a growing pressure for action at the local and regional level to have greater recognition fro LRAs.  Todays's statement from 'Non State Actors'  through the Talanoa Dialogue Call for Action has piled on the pressure for greater emphasis on action by LRAs on mitigation and adaptation. Here's just some of the positive statements they made yesterday that were endorsed by the Presidents of COP23 and COP24 that indicate a greater role for LRAs

"Actors in all countries, including Parties and non-Party stakeholders at the national, regional and

Al Gore doing his impressive 'State of the Climate' talk

community levels are already taking action. Pre-2020 action is vital for putting the world on a path towards achieving the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement. But it is not only governments that must act. Non-Party stakeholders can and should join in pre-2020 action and complement action by states. "

"Multilateralism and cooperation will enable us to address problems together, find solutions, and build consensus for the common good. Only a global coalition of actors – including Parties, national and sub-national governments, private sector companies, the investment community, civil society and all non-Party stakeholders – can take us there."

 "Together, Parties, working with non-Party stakeholders including sub-national governments, should pursue efforts to strengthen mitigation and adaptation commensurate with the objectives of the Paris Agreement. They must work together in the planning and pursuit of low emissions and climate-resilient development." 

"We call upon civil society leaders to marshal the public and political will needed to drive action. We call upon them to engage political leadership, influence and challenge norms, enhance awareness, and mobilize action at the regional, state and local levels." 

Andrew and the Andalucians (not a new band)

A really positive meeting for me yesterday was when I met 2 representatives from the Andalucian Government, Jose Fiscal Lopez, Minister of Environment and Territory and Jose Hernandez teh Depity Regional Minister. In Andalucia they had established a Climate Law that meant carbo savings carried out at the local level fed directly into the Spanish Governments Nationally Determined Contributions. They have effectively created an RLDC and are happy for the EU Committee of the Regions to use them as an example of best practice for others to follow.

So where are we with only a day to go before COP24 is supposed to end? Well nothing is guaranteed. I'm hoping all the positive work we have done from the EU Committee of the Regions team pays off and we a greater role for LRAs in action to address the threat of global change. Lets see what happens.

Goodbye COP24

COP24 - Locally Determined Contributions - Reasons for Optimism

I've been busy over the last 2 days speaking at a number at events at COP24 on Regionally and Locally Determined Contributions on behalf of the EU Committee of the Regions. I'm here till late next Thursday and intend to make the most of every opportunity to get the message across.

Staff at the EU Committee of the Regions (CoR) have really done an amazing job in securing the support of the LGMA, the global body representing Local Government and the European Parliament. There has also been some great work done by the CoR on social media and production of promotional materials on LDCs for COP24. I really feel we have a top notch team here and we a deserve a win. We also have the support of some committed NGOs like Climate Alliance and ICLEI who have strong networks and knowledge we can link in with,

So where does hope lie from Locally Determined Contributions at COP24? The strongest statement I have seen so far that indicates the need for Locally Determined Contributions come from the latest UNFCCC Gap Report that analyses the gap between the Nationally Determined Contributions and the savings we need to make to acheive the Paris Climate goals. It states

"Non-state and subnational action play an important role in delivering on national pledges. Non-state and subnational action could potentially allow countries to raise their ambition. However, current impacts are extremely limited and poorly documented.

  

Action by non-state and subnational actors (NSAs), including regional and local governments and businesses, is key to realizing greenhouse gas emissions. However, the impact of current individual NSA pledges on reducing the emissions gap is extremely limited

 If international cooperative initiatives succeed in increasing their membership and ambition, much greater potential can be realized

  

To enhance the credibility of NSA action, monitoring and reporting of actions and resulting emissions reductions will be essential"

This statement stops short of calling for Locally Determined Contributions but it has to be the natural conclusion from such a statement.

A lot of work goes on in the run up to Climate Summits like COP24 and the key meeting earlier this year was in Bangkok was of the Paris Agreement Working Programme. The conclusions from this feed into COP24. A key statement there on Nationally Determined Contributions refers to

"Contributions from sub-national or sectoral baselines"

This could indicate the possibility of a Locally or Regionally Determined Indicators approach. What is important now is to push hard for such a statement or stronger to make its way into the final text of COP24. That is my job for the next few days. 

Hoping for a good COP24

You probably never really know what the most significant events in your life are till they actually happen. I'm hoping the next few weeks are going to be mine. In early December I will be in Katowice, Poland for a week as part of EU Committee of the Regions Delegation to the COP24 United Nations Climate Change talks. To get to this point has been a three year journey.

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

COP24 - Locally Determined Contributions getting closer

Just to update you on my work on  Locally Determined Contributions to address carbon emissions as part of my role at  the EU Committee of the Regions and as part of their Negotiating Team for COP24 in Katovice in December. This could play a vital role in finding some of the additonal emissions reductions we need to make to ensure we keep global temperatures below 1.5 degrees C and maintain a reasonably stable climate.

There have been 2 exciting developments.

The first was a meeting last week of the ‘Non Party Stakeholders’ constituency in Krakow in advance of Katovice COP24 Climate Summit in December where they produced a statement about what they want out of the COP talks. Non Party Stakeholders covers global organisations representing farmers, women and gender NGOs, environmental NGOs, cities and regions, workers and their unions, as well as children and youth.  The ‘Parties’  are national Governments. They have produced a joint statement within which it states

The Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) constituency underscores the

need for collaboration among all levels of government and the importance of positioning

integrated, sustainable urban and territorial development as an important tool to accelerate

the implementation of NDCs. We look forward to having our engagement strengthened

through the Paris Agreement Work Programme. In 2018, cities and regions invited national

governments to fix and list NDCs under the Cities and Regions Talanoa Dialogues Initiative,

also through the formal recognition of the Locally Determined Contribution. 

The LGMA is the global body representing Local Government interests. The concept of Locally Determined Contribution (LDCs)s to address carbon emissions is something I’ve developed at the EU Committee of the Regions where it is now firmly adopted via an opinion on Climate Governance for which I was the Rapporteur.  So I’ll be using this to push for LDCs to be included in the UNFCCC Declaration coming out of COP24 to provide a defined role for Local and Regional Government internationally to address the gap in the carbon savings we need to make to achieve a minimum of 1.5 degrees rise in global temperatures.

The second piece of good news is  from the European Parliament where in their resolution in advance of COP24 they make the following statement last week.

Calls on the Commission to further intensify its relations with local and regional authorities, to enhance thematic and sectoral cooperation between cities and regions both within and outside the EU, to develop adaptation and resilience initiatives, and to strengthen sustainable development models and emission reduction plans in key sectors such as energy, industry, technology, agriculture and transport in both urban and rural areas, e.g. through twinning programmes, through the International Urban Cooperation programme, through support for platforms such as the Covenant of Mayors and by building new fora for exchanging best practice; calls on the EU and the Member States to support efforts by regional and local actors to introduce regionally and locally determined contributions (similar to NDCs) where climate ambition can be increased through this process;

All exciting stuff, there’s clearly a growing momentum for LDCs for COP24

For a primer on what LDCs is all about here is a link to the subject on my blog click here

There’s lots more on my blog on LDCs just click on the tabs section on the right of my page on 'Locally Determined Contributions' of course!

Here's the COP24 Conference site in Katovice where I'll be seeking to get LDCs adopted by the UNFCCC in December.

EU Committee of the Regions takes on Trump on Climate Change

Today the EU Committee of the Regions ENVE Commission agreed the following statement that I proposed on President Donald Trump's intention to abolish the US Climate Action Plan. This Plan is a key part of the USA's responsibilities as a signatory to the COP21 Paris Climate Treaty.

The ENVE Commission notes with concern the cancellation of the Climate Action Plan by the incoming Trump Administration and recognises that a lack of action on climate change by a large Country like the United States could negate the positive impact of much of the climate change mitigation work that EU Local and Regional Authorities are engaged in.

The CoR has a Memorandum of Understanding with the US Conference of Mayors.

The CoR ENVE Commission requests that the CoR contacts the US Conference of Mayors to determine their reaction to the Trump administration’s attitude and actions on Climate Change policy with the intention of making a strong statement in support of positive local and regional action on climate change in the United States.

PRESS RELEASE - COP22 - Marrakech - Greens call for an end to Fossil Fuel subsidies

Representatives from  governments from around the World  are meeting In Marrakech, Morocco this month to see how the targets that were agreed in the Paris Climate talks last year can be delivered.  Green Party Energy Spokesperson Councillor Andrew Cooper who will be attending in Marrakech has called for all fossil fuel subsidies to be phased out globally over the next 3 year to help acheive those targets. Councillor Cooper is part of the EU Committee of the Regions delegation that is representing the position of Local, Regional and Devolved Governments from across the European Union.

Councillor Cooper said "the International Monetary Fund has calculated the subsidies to the fossil fuel industry to be in the region of a  colossal $5.3 Trillion (£4.3Trillion). That is the equivalent of around £570/year for every person on the Planet.This is  a huge expense that is damaging to our environment and the health of the people of the world. Subsiding damaging fossil fuels in this way makes it even harder to acheive the targets agreed at COP21 in Paris last year."

" This huge subsidy puts into context the recent $1 Billion Low Carbon Fund offered by Big Oil and Gas companies. This fund represents a very small drop in an ocean of oil money supported by huge subsidy from Governments around the world. We should be clear that this is no where near enough to mitigate the damage their industry inflicts on out environment on a daily basis"

Cllr Cooper called for those subsidies to reinvested into positive actions that help combat climate change

"Imagine if the amount of subsidy to the fossil fuel sector was instead invested in large scale energy efficiency and renewable energy programmes to fund the transition to a low carbon economy."

"We need a quick end to all fossil fuel subsidies. Direct subsidies should be stopped. Other subsidies should be removed by imposing carbon taxes sufficient to pay for the damage caused by burning fossil fuels. The needs to avoid major economic disruption and to protect the poor mean that this cannot happen overnight but it must happen quickly and to an agreed timetable. The poor and those on low incomes should be protected against price increases and be the first to benefit from renewable technologies and energy efficiency measures i.e. solar panels and insulation measures to homes,

For this proposal to be successful we need each country to create and publish a subsidy phase out plan within 9 months for discussion at the next Climate Summit, COP23.

It is going to be interesting is to see how the UK Government representatives in Marrakech justify their current policy decisions which fly in the face of the scientific evidence. This year has seen £1 Billion in tax breaks for oil and gas companies in the North Sea, planning and financial incentives for shale gas companies, cuts in support for renewable energy and energy efficiency and the bizarre and wrong headed proposal for a third runway at Heathrow Airport. The UK Government is fast reclaiming our former title  of 'The Dirty Man of Europe'. We need to see some rapid acceptance from Prime Minister May that we need less warm words on Climate Change from her Government and more properly insulated warm homes powered by renewable energy."

We also need a commitment from fossil fuel companies to change to a more positive culture by:

·         Not funding climate denial organisations and campaigns.

·         Not lobbying governments to prolong subsidies.

·         and to positively develop their own transition plans to more socially and environmentally useful activities

Green Energy Spokesperson to attend COP22 Climate Summit in Marrakesh, Morocco

Kirklees Councillor Andrew Cooper is to attend an International Summit on Climate Change in Morocco in November. Andrew is the Green Party's Energy Spokesperson.

COP22 (Conference of the Parties) includes representatives from most Countries in the world working together to develop policies and programmes to address climate change. Councillor Cooper will be attending as a member of the European Union's Committee of the Regions where he is a leading member of the the ENVE Commission, that leads on Climate Change and Energy policies.The EU Committee of the Regions is the body that leads on the role of local and regional authorities and their role in delivering policies agreed at a European level.

" The negotiations in Paris last year established the targets for reducing greenhouse gases. The talks in Morocco are all about the practical steps we will need to take to make those targets a reality" Councillor Cooper said

" The UK signed up to the EU target in the Paris agreement and we will have to play our role in acheiving that target whether in or out of the EU. The UK may have voted for Brexit but we can't opt out of the world and the consequences of an ever warming planet."


" Each country that signed the Paris Agreement agreed their own Intended Nationally Determined Contributions to acheiving that target. Government's may decide targets but it is at the local and regional level where planning policies, energy efficiency programmes and renewable energy projects can play a big role in making those targets a reality. Our practical experience at the community level is vital. We have to think global but we have to act at the local level".

5/12/15 - Greens Climate & Peace Walk to Paris, Yorkshire

Today around 30 Yorkshire Greèns from Huddersfield, Sheffield, Leeds, Dewsbury, York and Rotherham walked 8 miles from the centre of Huddersfield to Paris, Scholes near Holmfirth. The aim was to draw attention to the need for a deal at the Paris that will save us from runaway climate change. Given the security situation in Paris, France there will be no official marches there during the COP21 Climate Talks making this one of many marchers/walks around the world that show people are passionate about wanting a meaningful deal. I've been keen to stress that though we are going to the 'wrong' Paris we want the right policies to reach the right targets. We don't want those going to the 'right' Paris to come out with a second rate compromise which just compromises all our futures. Only yesterday I had been in Paris, France speaking at a side event in the role of Regional and Local Authorities and told the delegates there what we would be doing today. They seemed to think it was a good idea and quirky for sure! So we set off from Harold Wilson's statue in the wind and rain and had a great time with stop offs at The Rock Inn, Brockholes and finished at the Boot and Shoe at Scholes. Energising good times! Here's the pics!

Addressing Climate Change - Two possible futures.

I am clear about how I would like to see carbon emissions reduced in the UK (and beyond?) My, 'Plan A' chosen future is one with low energy demand, new build housing to Passivhaus standards, a mass insulation deep retrofit programme. Electricity and heat production would be largely renewable with many small community, individual and locally owned energy companies - an Energy Generating Democracy. This was a future that the UK was making its first small steps towards but with the scaling back of the Energy Company Obligations and decimation of small scale and community micro generation by this Government (and the previous Coalition Government) this future looks a distant dream. It is a dream that is the traditional 'Big 6 Energy Companies' nightmare. Low energy demand, low customer bills, low profits, diminished dividends for shareholders. We could save the Planet but it is a dim outlook for your traditional gas and electricity supplier under my preferred scenario.

  You can imagine that with protecting their corporate interests  being in conflict with global survival that energy companies might 'kick back' at policies that might adversely affect them, so for that approach to have any moral justification they need a 'Plan B' to offer an alternative vision of our energy future. For electricity we pretty much can see the path. New nuclear is there certainly but so is carbon capture  and storage and we should expect some movement on that agenda shortly. 

What about heat? The Renewable Heat Incentive is an innovative policy supporting small and community scale biomass, heat pumps and a bit of solar thermal for hot water but there's no will to scale it up as a mass market solution for the millions rather than just the greenies and first movers. Community/District heating is also a solution which is difficult to make stack up on any scale. Government has given up on energy efficiency as a solution to the heat problem so what's left? We could have electric central heating for homes but for it to be carbon free we would need a massive scaling up of our renewable energy generation and that is certainly not anywhere on this Governments agenda. So you are left with the gas going through the pipes and being burnt in our boilers. If it has to be gas you have to change the gas. Biogas created and captured from rotting biological matter e.g. Sewage sludge, decomposing vegetable matter etc could be injected into the gas network and this would be renewable as opposed to fossil gas. The process is called anaerobic digestion but again not much sign of serious investment in this technology in the UK. So methane, fossil or renewable sourced is not a solution. What are we left with? Burning a different gas such as hydrogen in boilers. This is being seriously considered and I know of discussions with government looking at how this scenario might work and the technical problems that would have to be overcome to make it a reality. The problem is that as a mass market solution it is probably 20 years plus away from realisation or 'too late' as you could put it. Plan B doesn't work!

I don't believe that under any scenarios the government  might consider that they can resolve the heat problem. So it's back to Plan A! Existing housing mass regrofit would need to be covered through a 'Green New Deal' approach or Peoples QE funded but the problem of the Energy Companies remains. How do you take away their fear, their loss of revenue and give them hope of a future? They need a new source of revenue, they need to diversify into companies that have a socially and environmentally beneficial purpose. The natural partners for energy companies a re social housing providers Councils and Registered Social Landlords/Housing Associations. They have been badly hit by Government through cuts in Housing Revenue Account funding and a proposed extension of the 'Right to Buy'. This has meant that plans to build new social rented housing have been either cancelled or scaled back significantly. A new source of funding from Energy Companies could come in the form of a 'Social Housing Obligation' where a levy on bills could be used to fund investment in new Council and Housing Association developments. These would be built to 'passivhaus' standards and would have limited need for heating. The difference between the Social Housing Obligation and Energy Company Obligation would be that's for the former they would have a 'share of the action' and an agreed proportion of the revenue. Over time you would expect Energy Companies to have a diminishing amount of revenue from selling energy and a rising amount from rents. Ultimately they may well become, or merge with, Social Housing providers. To make the business model work it would be necessary for Government (and Labour) to abandon their ideological support for the 'Right to Buy'. We can tackle climate change and create a better society but not with the government or the policies we have.

Why are Greens walking to Paris, Yorkshire on Saturday 5th of December?

 

On Saturday 5^th of December Greens in a variety of environmental organisations will be walking from Huddersfield Town Centre to the hamlet of Paris, Scholes near Holmfirth. The aim of the walk will be to highlight the gulf between the carbon reductions indicated by national governments around the world , for the Paris (France) COP 21 Climate Talks in December, and those reductions that are needed to avoid catastrophic climate change. The carbon savings identified will only limit us to a global temperature increase of 2.7 degrees. To avoid the worst impacts we need to limit temperature rises to an average of 2 degrees or less.

Councillor Andrew Cooper who leads the Greens on Kirklees Council and who will be on the 4 hour walk said,

“We may be walking to the ‘Wrong Paris’ but we are calling on our Government and other countries who are going to the ‘Right Paris’ to go there with the right targets and the right policies to ensure we have a safe environment for future generations”

“The UK Government has cut investment in renewable energy while encouraging the expansion of fracked gas. They have cut support to solar and wind projects and have given tax breaks worth millions to oil and gas companies. The UK Government may be sending their delegation the ‘Right Paris’ but they have the wrong priorities and wrong targets”

Once we have arrived at Paris walkers will gather in Scholes Methodist Church for refreshments and short talks about action to address Climate Change before heading to the ‘Boot and Shoe Inn’ and a bus home.

People are welcome  to join the walk but please register on the events Facebook page so we can judge numbers

https://www.facebook.com/events/1738470946387699/

Timetable

What we are doing	Times	Location	Train arrival times For those joining ‘en route’
Gather	9:45 AM	Harold Wilson Statue, Hudds Train Station
Set off	10:00 AM	Through Town Centre, down Chapel Hill to Lockwood
Arrive Lockwood	10:20 AM	Grappolos Car Park at Lockwood traffic lights	1011
Depart Lockwood	10:30 AM
Arrive Berry Brow	11:00 AM	Junction of Waingate and Woodhead Road – opposite Laxmi in car park.	1114
Depart Berry Brow	11:10 AM
Arrive Honley	11:45 AM	Junction of Gynn Lane and New Mill Road – next to the recreation fields	1117
Depart Honley	12:00 PM
Arrive Brockholes	12:30 PM	Rock Inn Car Park – on New Mill Rd and opposite the Car Park	1219
Depart Brockholes	12:45 PM
Arrive Paris	2.00 PM	Arrive Paris for Selfies by the ‘Paris sign’, refreshments and speaking at nearby Scholes Methodist Church followed by a drink or two in the Boot and Shoe Inn