 |
Hounslow Liberal Democrats |
Speech moving motion in support of 10:10 climate change campaign
October 27, 2009 12:00 AM
By Cllr Dakers in Full Council, London Borough of Hounslow
By Cllr Dakers in Full Council, London Borough of Hounslow
As I highlighted to borough council in my first speech three and half years ago, Climate change predictions show that without severe cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, all of us and poorest countries in particular, will be hit by more volatile weather conditions leading to drought, flooding and famine.
A report earlier this year by the Global Humanitarian Forum, led by Kofi Annan, the former UN Secretary-General concluded climate change is already killing 300,000 people a year in a "silent crisis" that is seriously affecting hundreds of millions more.
This is an issue of social justice as well as a call to take environmental action.
Under the UK Climate Change Act 2008 the UK is due to cut its emissions by 34% by 2020.
More than ten councils are among those who have already signed up to the '10:10 Campaign' initiated by Camden filmmaker Franny Armstrong, which seeks to persuade individuals, businesses, organisations and the UK government to reduce their CO2 emissions by 10% in 2010.
Members can also sign up as individual signatories and supporters of the campaign, which I would encourage. The website is http://www.1010uk.org
Lib Dem controlled Camden Council where Cllr Alexis Rowell is Eco Champion was one of the first signatories and aspire to a 40% cut by 2020 but acknowledge that according to climate change scientists, a cut of 10% in 2010 is in line with what is now needed to avert runaway climate change.
We welcome Cllr Reid and Fishers' amendment and believe we can all take pride in London Borough of Hounslow's Carbon Management Plan that aims for a 40% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2017 with an interim target of 20% by 2012.
More ambitious than Camden!
The challenge of course in Hounslow is speed of delivery and hitting the targets. We first suggested in Q2 2007 that the Council needed to appoint an energy manager. This took until the Autumn of 2008. The climate change fund we proposed in a detailed paper in early 2008 was approved under the title of a Carbon Management Fund a year later, but the Council still has to finalise plans for the first four projects and put a funding application into Salix.
Whilst we welcome the cross party consensus around the problem & solution, we believe the Executive should not ask the impossible of our officers and clearly need more human resource behind delivery, if LB Hounslow's targets are to be taken seriously.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which meets in Copenhagen in December of this year, may be the world's last chance to negotiate a deal that will avert the worst consequences of climate change.
To ensure a breakthrough at the critical Copenhagen conference government ministers need to know that local communities support more dramatic cuts in emissions than have hitherto been proposed.
Can I therefore move that London Borough of Hounslow Council supports the aims and ambitions of the 10:10 Campaign and we resolve to sign up for the 10:10 Campaign and continue the acceleration of our efforts to reduce our CO2 emissions in 2010.
What would you like to do next?
-
Subscribe for updates
Follow the party's activity on...
- Twitter:
- Liberal Democrats
- Facebook:
- Liberal Democrats
- YouTube:
- Liberal Democrats
-
Help out or donate
-
Tell us what you think