Futures Forum: Climate change goes mainstream
The question is whether politicians will act on this:
Futures Forum: Climate change: are we seeing action from politicians?
However, it does seem that the District Council wants to do something:
Futures Forum: Climate change and East Devon: "In what way have we changed our practices to respond to our pending oblivion on this planet? The answer: not enough."
The question is whether the council would countenance the really stringent targets as proposed by Extinction Rebellion:
Our Demands - Extinction Rebellion - Extinction Rebellion
The science behind Extinction Rebellion’s three climate change demands | New Scientist
Extinction Rebellion: What do they want and is it realistic? - BBC News
The Guardian view of UK’s climate responsibility: zero emission target needed | Editorial | Opinion | The Guardian
The District Council discussed these targets at their meeting this week:
Agenda for Council on Wednesday, 24th April, 2019, 6.00 pm - East Devon
Printed minutes 24th-Apr-2019 18.00 Council.pdf
Here's Daniel Clarke's piece on the meeting for Devon Live:
Carbon neutral by 2025 for East Devon could mean closing car parks and discouraging tourists
The district council’s cabinet earlier in the month agreed to work with Devon County Council on a shared climate change programme, but to consider setting a more ambitious date than the 2050 carbon neutrality target agreed by the county council.
Daniel Clark Local Democracy Reporter
UPDATED 21:32, 26 APR 2019
All car parks could be closed, all gas boilers ripped out of council houses, and tourists discouraged from coming to East Devon if the council wanted to be carbon neutral by 2025, the council’s chief executive has warned.
The district council’s cabinet earlier in the month agreed to work with Devon County Council on a shared climate change programme, but to consider setting a more ambitious date than the 2050 carbon neutrality target agreed by the county council.
Speaking at Wednesday night’s meeting, Mark Williams, the chief executive, confirmed a report would come back to cabinet early in the life of the new council, with a 2025 carbon neutrality as the starting point.
“There are a lot of things that will be required to happen which will fundamentally change how the council operates and the message it wants to send out to the rest of East Devon.”
The leader of the council, Cllr Ian Thomas, said that he agreed that a more ambitious target than 2050 was needed and that the figure was not acceptable, but that plucking numbers out of the air was not the way forward.
He said: “I don’t support just changing dates blindly, so I would be more confident that we could achieve something if we understood of our carbon neutrality, and I want a report on that to come back at a very early stage in the new council so we have something we can have a sensible debate behind. It will also have a plan, who is responsible and when it could be delivered, so it will be credible and measured against a specific objective. We are not saying 2050 is an acceptable figure and we never did.”
The meeting has seen the minutes of the cabinet ratified, but not before both a motion to seek to achieve a more challenging target than 2050, and to amend the minute, that Cllr Roger Giles had moved were both ruled ineligible for debate.
His notice of motion was rejected by Mr Williams on the grounds that the council’s cabinet have and will discuss the matter again, and his attempt to amend the minutes was rejected on procedural grounds.
Mr Williams said: “The minute was a resolution of cabinet and the procedure that we have is that if scrutiny has an issue with a resolution, it can be called in and debated, before going back to the council, which councillor Giles you well know.”
In response, Cllr Giles called the action of the chief executive ‘deplorable’ and that rather than the whole of the council discussing climate change, they are being asked to leave the Cabinet – just 10 councillors – to look at this matter again at some unspecified time in the future, and agree some unspecified action.
He added: “The report on Climate Change which went to Cabinet on April 3 contained a large number of initiatives. It is hard to imagine that anyone would object to any of them. But that is the problem. The proposals are very modest. They show a lack of ambition. The report does not recognise or address the seriousness or urgency of the situation.
“The brilliant 16-year-old Greta Thunberg met the major political party leaders in Westminster yesterday. They made time for her and her concerns. Contrast that with our response. Just what kind of message are we sending to Greta, and to the young people of East Devon who will suffer the consequences of our inaction? It really isn’t good enough.”
The meeting has seen the minutes of the cabinet ratified, but not before both a motion to seek to achieve a more challenging target than 2050, and to amend the minute, that Cllr Roger Giles had moved were both ruled ineligible for debate.
His notice of motion was rejected by Mr Williams on the grounds that the council’s cabinet have and will discuss the matter again, and his attempt to amend the minutes was rejected on procedural grounds.
Mr Williams said: “The minute was a resolution of cabinet and the procedure that we have is that if scrutiny has an issue with a resolution, it can be called in and debated, before going back to the council, which councillor Giles you well know.”
In response, Cllr Giles called the action of the chief executive ‘deplorable’ and that rather than the whole of the council discussing climate change, they are being asked to leave the Cabinet – just 10 councillors – to look at this matter again at some unspecified time in the future, and agree some unspecified action.
He added: “The report on Climate Change which went to Cabinet on April 3 contained a large number of initiatives. It is hard to imagine that anyone would object to any of them. But that is the problem. The proposals are very modest. They show a lack of ambition. The report does not recognise or address the seriousness or urgency of the situation.
“The brilliant 16-year-old Greta Thunberg met the major political party leaders in Westminster yesterday. They made time for her and her concerns. Contrast that with our response. Just what kind of message are we sending to Greta, and to the young people of East Devon who will suffer the consequences of our inaction? It really isn’t good enough.”
When they met on April 3, the district council’s cabinet agreed to work with the county council to tackle climate change in areas where meaningful change could be made and to consider setting a more ambitious date than 2050 for becoming carbon neutral, with a further report to be brought back as to how this could be achieved.
But Cllr Cathy Gardner said that the decision to follow Devon was totally illogical and ridiculous, given that last week, Teignbridge District Council declared a climate emergency with a carbon neutrality target of 2025.
Cllr Marianne Rixson added the proposal was lacking ambition and substance, and something needed to be done proactively and urgently, Cllr Steve Gazzard said we have ruined the planet so owe it to the youngsters to put it right, and Cllr Mike Howe said that the council needs to be more ambitious and change the 2050 date as they are the odd one out.
However, Cllr Mike Allen accused Cllr Giles of ‘simply trying to stir up trouble’ and that ‘in the middle of an election, a lot of criticism was coming forward’. He added: “This won’t go away, is vitally important, and we all want things to improve and change, but the best thing to co-operate and put forward practical solutions instead of just moaning.”
Cllr Graham Godbeer added that although he used to be a climate change sceptic but has seen come to terms with the science behind, ‘if we get targets, they have to be achievable. Teignbridge aiming to be carbon neutral by 2025 to me is totally unrealistic’.
Carbon neutral by 2025 for East Devon could mean closing car parks and discouraging tourists - Devon Live
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