Friday, October 29, 2021

CoP 26: 31st Oct - 12 Nov

The irony of the UK, led (?) by the most right wing government in decades, organising the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference of Parties in Glasgow is not lost on me, nor others I suspect.  Nevertheless, we are where we are, and perhaps a few words of encouragement from the Great British Public might encourage our elected representatives to do the right thing for the environment, for once?  The recent apparent volte-face with regard to dumping sewage in our seas and waterways should give a smidgen of hope.

So, how to demonstrate support?  Locally, as part of a Global Day of Action, Greening Steyning, Bramber and Beeding is organising a pair of marches on Saturday 6 Nov. starting at 2pm to meet at Bramber Castle.  Hopefully these will be bigger than the 500 strong 2019 march...

As I said in my (mercifully short for those listening) address to that gathering: 'The time is now, the clock is ticking and it’s up to all of us to act!'

So please demonstrate your support, but also recognise that we are all part of the problem.  If you only do one thing, then I would encourage you to 'own your carbon footprint'.  You can easily calculate it using one of the many on-line calculators - carbonindependent.org is my favourite for it's detailed breakdown and openness of the underlying analysis methods, but others are available. 

Then ask yourself, what can I do to help the environment that has given me so much?  There are plenty of answers out there.  Voluntary organisations such as Greening Steyning can offer advice; local and central government likewise - sometimes with support funding offers - but in the end, it's down to everyone of us.

Saturday, October 16, 2021

Saved by the Little Whirlpool Ramshorn Snail?

In mid-September, Horsham council received a position statement regarding Water Neutrality from Natural England, as explained here.  As stated on that page 'The Position Statement is a new material consideration and the consequence of this is that Horsham District Council is unable to determine current planning applications positively unless it can be demonstrated they are ‘water neutral’ and/or that they do not result in a significant effect.'  

In addition, this position statement could have a far reaching impact on the, currently in revision, Horsham District Local Plan (AKA 'another spanner in the works', following the earlier changes to the National Planning Policy Framework) leading to more delays, possibly of the order of months.

And the snail?  As one of the rarest, most restricted and most vulnerable freshwater molluscs in Britainit is highly endangered and only found on 3 sites in the UK - one of which is Pullborough Brooks, part of the Arun catchment.  Most of the drinking water for Horsham District, Crawley and parts of Chichester comes from a borehole at Hardham, south of Pulborough, and Natural England believe that excessive abstraction is harming the natural world, endangering various flora and fauna in the Arun valley, which is variously designated a SPA, SAC, Ramsar site and SSSI.  It seems this snail is rather fussy, and thus a good indicator of potential environmental problems.  Long may it live in Sussex! 

Gatwick Expansion Rejected

At last Wednesday's full council meeting, I was pleased to second a motion from Cllr Liz Kitchen asking council to renew its previously stated (2015) strong objection to use of a second runway at Gatwick.  Reassuringly, the motion was approved unanimously, and it's worth stating its final sentence: 'To support the expansion of Gatwick Airport would be a contradiction to the climate change objectives of this Council.' 

As ever, the devil is in the detail, and examination of the current consultation documentation shows that by 2038 Gatwick aim to increase passenger volumes by 34% without use of the additional runway, compared to a 62% increase with the second runway in use.  Neither is compatible with the policy suggestions from the UK's Climate Change Committee!

At the same meeting, I proposed a motion requiring the council to support national calls for 'a joint local & national government Task Force to plan action to reach net zero emissions'.  Clearly many other councillors support this view, as there is a clear disconnect between the policy proposals from the Climate Change Committee and the ability of local government (which is best placed to implement many of the necessary changes) to act.  I was pleased that the motion was seconded by cabinet member Cllr Philip Circus and was passed unanimously.

My hope is that central government is storing up a raft of measures as part of a CoP 26 beauty parade; but I am not holding my breath, given its relative inaction over the last decade.  Not long now before we find out! 

Sussex Green Hub

Very remiss of me not to comment on the 25 Sept. launch of the Sussex Green Hub at the United Reformed Church in Horsham, especially as I was presented with this delicious birthday cake at the end of the opening ceremony!


At the hub, which will be open from 10am to 4pm on the last Saturday of the month, there will be a range of environmental services, solutions and advice, along with lots of friendly and welcoming volunteers who want to help you take small green steps to save money and the planet. Plus a community cafĂ© where you can enjoy a drink and light refreshments.

Another step up for the sterling efforts of Sussex Green Living and well worth a visit.

 

And then there were nine!

Pleased to say that there are now nine Green Party councillors on Horsham District Council following the byelection victory of Gill Perry, w...