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.
-
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.
6 Comments
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”
by B Jenkins, Truro
Monday, September 28 2009, 12:42PM
“Ed Miliband quotes the flawed EU carbon policy on Climate Change.
This European Union carbon policy will leave the UK in the dark as we close power stations down without replacements. We have known of this avoidable catastrophe for some time, and believe that all Government Ministers have been aware of this, they are advised by industry experts on the requirements and consequences of policies at least weekly.
So why has this happened?
If they knew the facts, then it has to be deliberate! With many Marxist disciples in Government it should not be a surprise; destruction of the old order has been the plan for many years. It is now too late to stop rolling power cuts, and every year's delay exacerbates our difficulties. Tony Blair stated just before stepping down from PM that, "There is no viable alternative to nuclear power". This was very quickly forgotten about.
Much is said about "Global Warming" which has been morphed into "Climate Change." The Antarctic ice core samples have been used to support this theory. However these showed that temperature rise in the past preceded that of carbon by 80 years. If it had been a cause, it had to be before, not afterwards. Cause and effect may not be reversed as a proof. All talk of carbon trading is irrelevant to the real issues, it is just a red herring of no real importance. Pollution control to improve our living conditions is another matter and so is conservation.
Unless we have a cheap generating supply, the National Grid is going to be redundant. With 28% transmission losses the costs are enormous and not sustainable. Are we moving towards a time when power is only available locally as it was prior to WW2? The difference being that too much investment has been put into unreliable wind turbines. If the wind is insufficient there is no power.
New technology needs to be proved with a prototype, and then evaluated, before rushing headlong into capital wasting schemes.”