Towns to share in £10m eco windfall
THE Energy Secretary has called on communities across Britain to follow the Westcountry's lead on climate change.
Ed Miliband will today announce £10 million has been earmarked to help cities and towns reduce their carbon footprint.
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The money will be shared by up to 20 authorities to help pay for community wind turbines, fitting charging points for electric cars and local biomass plants.
The Secretary of State, a popular figure among party members, hailed the "transition town" movement, born in the Westcountry, as precisely the kind of low carbon model others should adopt.
The movement, where communities take action to reduce carbon emissions and reliance on oil, was conceived in Totnes and has spread through Devon and Cornwall and as far as New Zealand.
Ideas such as the Totnes pound, a currency accepted by local shopkeepers to encourage shopping with independent traders, have been embraced by hundreds of towns and villages across the world.
Brixton in London this month launched its own currency as a result.
Mr Miliband said: "We can't do it (tackle climate change) on our own.
"We are funding communities to come together to tackle low carbon, to make the difference themselves.
"This is a direct recognition of communities across Britain to make the transition towards a low carbon economy."
He added the funding, given out under the banner Low Carbon Communities Challenge, would help simultaneously "nurture a sense of community".
He said: "This is a real opportunity not just to do things on the green agenda but a wider agenda on community."
At a press conference last night, Mr Miliband also discussed the tidal power project on the Severn estuary, which has one of the largest tidal ranges in the world and could be the biggest green energy project ever.
Experts feel as much as five per cent of the country's energy needs is locked away in the estuary, but environmentalists say some of the plans under consideration could devastate the natural habitats.
Mr Miliband said: "There are renewable energy reasons going for them, but with some of the projects there are environmental concerns. That is what we will come to a decision on next year."
While the economy takes centre stage at the Brighton conference, the green economy and tackling climate change is likely to be a recurring theme where the party will want to appear pre-eminent.
In the afternoon speech to the party faithful, Mr Miliband talked about investing in "the industries of the future – like green manufacturing" and acting with "boldness" on climate change.
He said: "Climate change is no longer just an environmental issue. It is about how we get our energy, what jobs your kids are going to do and how we travel."
All three major parties see climate change as one of the "big issues" of the day, but commentators have questioned both Labour and Tory credentials.
While Labour has pledged to slash carbon emissions by 2050, when Britain aims to cut its emission by 80 per cent, some are unconvinced by plans to build a third runway at Heathrow airport.
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by Freethinker, Cornwall
Tuesday, September 29 2009, 11:54AM
“Theo; I'm no conspiracy theorist. Anyone who believes in the great global Warming hype are the ones who need their heads examined Theo. It's very clear to see where the 'green revolution' is taking us, and it's certainly not for the betterment of the human race. The very idea of taxing the air that we breathe is repulsive and immoral. It seems Theo that your rather brainwashed and unable to accept a different way of thinking on the issue. You probably also support the crazy notion that human beings are contributing to the downfall of the planet as well. Snap out of this daft way of thinking Theo. The name freethinker is all about freethought Theo. I don't have my brains scrambled by TV, radio or internet. You would rather follow the dogma of what the establishment want you to here. I feel sorry for you Theo, your just one of the sheeple.”
by Theo H, Lifton
Monday, September 28 2009, 10:41PM
“@ Freethinker.
I'm sorry to say Mr. Blince, but B. Jenkins has a point. The green revolution is nothing more than a taxation scam
It is seldom I will be personally insulting to another posted here, but your comment is quite stupid. Totally stupid. Crazed conspiracy theory stuff. Get a life.
BTW, I have learned that anyone who posts with a name like "Freethinker" is usually a conspiracy theorist.”
by Freethinker, Cornwall
Monday, September 28 2009, 7:45PM
“I'm sorry to say Mr. Blince, but B. Jenkins has a point. The green revolution is nothing more than a taxation scam. Just the concept of saying CO2 is bad for the enviroment and needs to be taxed is just ludicrous. Considering that every living creature breathes CO2 as the life blood of our planet. The only reason behind the green tyranny to come is that it's firmly based in taxing us to death as a population. I've never been convinced about Global Warming and never will be. Wind power is just another waste of time and money.”
by Farringdon Loon, Menabilly
Monday, September 28 2009, 7:28PM
“Gill, Kent: Even the RSPB (I am a member) are selective in the science they wish to believe. A recent report apparently supported wind farms, no doubt to the glee of our cerebrally challenged energy secretary, Ed Miliband.
You'll recall the baby faced chump said opposition to wind turbines was 'socially unacceptable - like not wearing your seatbelt, or driving past a zebra crossing.'
Yet elsewhere it has been reported that 80 golden eagles a year perish at Altamont Pass, California (along with 10,000 other birds - all 'protected') in collisions with turbine blades.
Still, I suppose they don't have a vote in matter.”
by Gill, Kent
Monday, September 28 2009, 1:37PM
“Severn Reef better than a barrage. A new tidal power scheme could safeguard wildlife and generate more clean energy from the Severn Estuary than a 10-mile barrage, a report says.
A tidal reef, a longer dam, further downstream, would be less costly than a Cardiff to Weston barrage and keep intact most of the estuary's saltmarshes and mudflats on which at least 68,000 birds feed in winter.
The reef would operate for longer and have more underwater turbines than a conventional barrage, but turbines would be slower moving, minimising the danger to migrating salmon and eels.
For more information please look at the RSPB's website”