Manifesto - Tackling climate change
"I don't think it's obvious that the government is seizing the green agenda in the way it needs to. I find it embarrassing actually." Charles Clarke, MP, March 2008 - to various newspapers.
"Tackling climate change must be at the centre of local government's vision for their communities. It is not another priority amongst the many that compete for local government leaders' attention. It is now clear from the scientific evidence that it is the single priority which overrides all others, now and for the foreseeable future." Local Government Association Climate Change Commission, December 2007
Green thinking on climate change
Last year scientists monitoring how the Arctic ice melts during the summer reported that not only did it reach a new record low, but that the melting process could be speeding up - out of control. Dangerous climate change is happening and threatens to affect all of our lives. Our local MP is right to be concerned that the Government has failed to take the necessary radical measures to tackle climate change. The Green Party has warned of this problem for three decades and, uniquely amongst political parties, has developed strong and consistent policy to fight it. At the international level:
- Immediate deep cuts are needed in emissions from agriculture and land-use, which contribute about 40 per cent of the total, as well as from the burning of fossil fuels.
- Robust treaties are needed to prevent any further deforestation and to mandate year-on-year cuts in fossil fuel emissions. Such a framework must ensure that the people of global South are treated with justice - one such model is called 'Contraction and Convergence'.
- An immediate EU and international moratorium on mass scale agro-biofuels is needed to prevent this false solution accelerating climate change and the global food crisis.
However, in the UK, we must not wait until 2012 when the post-Kyoto treaty comes into force. We need local and national action to immediately reduce our own emissions by at least 6 per cent annually from now on. Scientists say that if we don't start now, drastic annual reductions, even more than 10 per cent per year, will be needed by the 2020s to avoid climate catastrophe. Greens will lobby:
- Against other false solutions such as clean coal power stations and nuclear energy.
- For a massive roll-out for true renewables: wind, solar and marine, that will benefit the economic health of East Anglia.
- Against climate dangerous Government policies such as new runways at Heathrow and Stansted, and road expansion.
- For much greater investment into public transport and a re-nationalised rail system.
A Green Council will promote the urgent actions needed for Norwich to make a robust contribution to immediate UK emission reductions. The City Council agreed to a Green Party motion in January 2007 to annually review progress towards a 6 per cent year-on-year cut in emissions and set up a cross-party Climate Change Panel. The Labour administration at City Hall stalled for over a year in setting up this panel but now it is established Green councillors intend to ensure that this committee makes progress towards this target. We welcome the work done so far by council officers, and the successful budget amendments of the Green Councillors, but there is a huge amount that needs to be done and a Green Council would resource fighting climate change at a much greater level:
- Establish an 'Environment and Climate Change' department, to be taken forward into the new Unitary authority, and to be headed by a senior officer and tasked to cut the authority's carbon emissions by at least six per cent per year and to save millions in future years on energy costs.
- Create energy saving budgets for each of the largest departments.
- Develop a multi-million pound capital project to develop a Council energy network based on new, cheaper photovoltaics and on-site renewable energies feedback into the Grid and resident's homes following examples of best practice in London, and especially Woking where a 77 per cent cut in its energy consumption was achieved.
- Prioritise these initiatives in budget discussions and work to recruit and fund the necessary staff for these departments and projects.
- Introduce carbon budgeting alongside the financial budget process.
- Ensure that all homes are fully insulated, energy efficiency is required in all new buildings, and energy saving measures are included in the renovation of old buildings. There is inadequate government regulation and support in this area, but Greens will lobby for the council to do better than the regulatory minimum.
- Ensure that 'sustainability' becomes at the heart of any new housing developments maximising on-site renewable energy infrastructure, public transport, and ensuring there is employment close-by.
- Lobby for council financial support to community based climate action schemes such as the Transition Towns movement.
- Oppose the expansion of Norwich Airport and the unchecked growth in aviation, and night flights from Norwich Airport.
- Promote teleconferencing as an alternative to many business trips and promote alternative transport methods to short-haul flights.