South Somerset Climate Action

in cooperation with Somerset Wildlife Trust

Sun 16 Sep 2.30pm Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth”
All 150 seats were taken for previous two showings – please encourage your friends to BOOK NOW for this award-winning, entertaining and significant film which will be followed by a discussion led by David Gordon, former County Councillor and Chairman of Ecos Trust, the award-winning builders of zero carbon homes.
Sat 22 Sep 2.30pm Al Gore’s Update on An inconvenient Truth
plus The GREENPEACE film “A Convenient Solution”
These important films will be followed by a discussion led by Catherine Le Grice Mack, former County Councillor, Organic farmer, Representative of environmental organisations at the Regional Assembly
Tickets:

Visit Hentons, East St, Ilminster

or

Call Joe 01460 55323 / 52347

Or

just turn up at the theatre
Donations requested
Hot drinks and cakes will be served.

Helping with decisions about using natural energy and reducing waste

Each one-day course starts with a talk at 10am at BURROW FARM GARDENS, DALWOOD, near AXMINSTER.

Call Pete Addie, (01404 831 288) to confirm then send a CHEQUE for £7 to cover refreshments and other expenses to Dalwood Hill House, Dalwood, Axminster EX13 7EU.

If you know of a group that would like a presentation or discussion about Climate Change please contact Joe Burlington (01460 55323).

“These speakers (Peter Lansdown and Joe) gave a stimulating and thought-provoking presentation on Global Warming that was greatly appreciated.” Edwin George, Crewkerne U3A.

“You enlightened us all most effectively and kept our attention riveted with the way you presented your topics” Jackie Hall, Isle of Wedmore Society.

Website - http://ecovation.org.uk/

Ecovation is a major new initiative for people who have renovated their houses to a high environmental standard to share their experiences, tips, and contacts. Ecovation is a collective, interactive forum for inspiring and enabling practical change.

The Ecovation Initiative is a project of the Climate Outreach Information Network, and is supported by The Ove Arup Foundation, The Building Research Establishment Trust and Greenpeace Charitable Trust.

SOUTH SOMERSET TOGETHER

The strategy so far has involved a great deal of thought and work when I have not been involved.

I was encouraged to see the word “sustainable” in the title.

Goal 14: Move towards a zero carbon economy by 2050” would impress many but “move towards” is a weak expression when America’s top climate scientist (James Hansen) warns ‘we only have a decade to save the planet’. [Independent 15 September 2006].

Read the rest of this entry »

Sustainable development is now part of the purpose of the planning system.

Planning Policy Statement 1: Delivering Sustainable Development (PPS1), published by Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) in 2006, sets out the overarching planning policies on delivering sustainable development through the planning system. It states (section entitled “Protection and enhancement of the environment”):

“Development plan policies should take account of environmental issues such as mitigation of, and adaptation to, climate change through reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the use of renewable energy . .”

So that is existing policy and already quite a strong requirement to afford weight to climate change. But then in December of last year DCLG issued a consultation document on a proposed supplement to PPS1 on Planning and Climate Change the eventual effect of which is likely to make climate change an even stronger consideration in planning.

While the document is only emerging policy, unusually it does set out transitional arrangements that presumably apply right away. It states (paragraph 1.16):

Read the rest of this entry »

Since about 1850, average world temperatures have risen by 0.7 degrees.

This has produced freaky weather

• Downpours and floods
• Heatwaves and droughts
• High winds
• more powerful hurricanes
• in places that never had them - the South Atlantic, Australia

Read the rest of this entry »

South Somerset District Council has started thinking about plans for - Yeovil, Crewkerne and Chard - but not the other towns for a while yet. Ilminster was caught on the hop with the recent supermarket application and the subsequent one-way street fiasco.

Ilminster Town Council is thinking ahead and developing its own plan. A draft has been presented a public meetings and published in the Chard & Ilminster News.

South Somerset Climate Action was surprised that no mention was made of either climate change or predicted shortages (or much higher costs) of fuel, food, timber and other materials. Read the rest of this entry »

Evidence submitted to The House of Commons, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee for their report “Climate Change: the citizen’s agenda” published on 13 September 2007.

Background and experience

I am Chairman of South Somerset Climate Action, a group established a year ago which has met every month since. In April, we created an audience of 160 people to hear the journalist, Rosie Boycott, and Mayer Hillman, author of How we can save the planet.

All 150 seats at our local theatre were filled for our screening of Al Gore’s film An Inconvenient Truth on both 13 Jan and 4 Feb 2007. Both were followed by discussions.

I have a degree in Physics and have had a career divided between teaching and working for youth and third world charities including 100+ presentations to audiences.

The kind of issue I would like to raise

Few parliamentarians appear to understand even quite straight forward scientific concepts. Both the Prime Minister and David Miliband have admitted their lack of scientific understanding and it shows; they do not know the questions to ask nor can they assess properly the information they receive. What is worse, they filter what they hear and ignore “inconvenient truths”. At least the Cabinet Minister responsible needs to have a personal grasp of the science.

Read the rest of this entry »

Personal Action on Climate and Energy

Pete Addie – Simple cost-effective steps to save energy.

20 year ago Pete draft-proofed his house. Each year since then he has invested the money saved in more devices and systems so that, on average, he now contributes energy to the National Grid. Pete has a wealth of knowledge of practical actions and good-value investments.
7.15 (tea or coffee) for a 7.30 start (£2 at the door)
Minster Rooms, Court Barton off Silver Street, Ilminster