Sadly, not many of us could get to Ray Cobbett’s funeral but if you’d like to donate some money in his memory please send it to the Rowans hospice. https://www.rowanshospice.co.uk/donate/
Good news – Leader of Havant Borough Council, Cllr Wilson invited Cllr Julie Thain-Smith to take the lead for the environment and climate change on 22 July 2020.
The Leader of Havant Borough Council, Councillor Michael Wilson, said; “If we are to make a real difference to the threat posed by climate change we need to act now to achieve carbon reduction targets set on us by Central Government.”
Councillor Thain-Smith, who is also the Armed Forces Covenant representative for Havant Borough Council, said: “We can take a clear leadership role in not only reducing the council’s own carbon footprint but also by influencing a programme of interventions across the borough through our policies, programmes, projects and services.”
“The new Cabinet role will lead on and develop the council’s new climate change and environment strategy, and an action plan to focus on measures for the whole organisation”.
Hampshire County Council Climate Strategy 2020-25. This was approved by Cabinet on July 14th and you can read it on https://documents.hants.gov.uk/environment/Hampshire-Climate-Change-strategy-2020-2025.pdf
Members of Havant FOE have been involved with County meetings to discuss the document and are challenging some of the conclusions with groups from around the County via the Hampshire Climate Action Network. HCAN have produced an excellent response to the policy and you can download it from the Havant Climate Alliance website: https://havantclimatealliance.wordpress.com/2020/08/12/a-climate-strategy-for-hampshire/
One of things about the policy we’re not happy about is the target of 2050 for Hampshire to achieve Net Zero emissions so HCAN has put a letter together for County Councillors, urging them to aim at 2030. The link is the same as above. We’d like as many groups as possible to support this, so please take a look and send your name and organisation to sue.james@yahoo.com to be added.
Build Back Better https://www.buildbackbetteruk.org/ is running a campaign, initiated by Green New Deal UK, to gather widespread community support for rebuilding our society for the better. As part of the campaign, communities around the country are gathering signatories to a letter to MPs to be delivered during the day of action on Thursday 27 August, before the start of the next parliamentary session. Please add your group’s name to the list of signatories, you can see the local letter on the Havant Climate Alliance website from Monday. If you can, urge others to sign up as well.
Planning changes. FOE are sure that the changes to planning regulations just announced will be bad news for communities and for the environment. https://friendsoftheearth.uk/climate-change/planning-reforms-are-bad-news-communities-and-environment
There are some interesting surveys done by the Conservative Environmental Network which show the level of support for a green recovery https://www.cen.uk.com/polling
Nitrates. There’s still no clear solution to the problems of nitrate pollution in Langstone and Chichester Harbours but HFOE and Havant Borough Residents’ Association have met with local councillors and solutions are being sought.
We’re very keen on the ideas of Kate Raworth and Doughnut Economics. Other fans will be interested to know she has just published guide for downscaling it to cities. If you’re not familiar with doughnut economics it’s a tool for examining how to live within planetary boundaries in a fair and equitable way. This TED talk gives the gist of it.
Tightening building regulations : make your views heard– Without tighter building regulations, new housing is going to continue to leak energy and it will be impossible for local councils to enforce tougher standards. Here’s a draft letter to Robert Jenrick, the Minister. It would be worth copying your letter to your local MP too.
Have you signed The time is Now Declaration for MPs? We need the to get a move on with serious climate action! https://thetimeisnow.uk/
A new campaign has just been launched, calling for a new bill to go through Parliament as fast as possible. The Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill calls for:
- the UK to make and enact a serious plan. This means dealing with our real fair share of emissions so that we don’t go over critical global rises in temperature
- our entire carbon footprint be taken into account (in the UK and overseas)
- the protection and conservation of nature here and overseas along supply chains, recognising the damage we cause through the goods we consume
- those in power not to depend on technology to save the day, which is used as an excuse to carry on polluting as usual
- ordinary people to have a real say on the way forward in a citizens’ assembly with bite
Find out more https://www.ceebill.uk/
Good news!
Repair Cafe Havant and Community Cycle Centre have received funding to run six Dr Bike sessions in Havant Park starting Tuesday 25 August.
The first three sessions will be on Tuesdays from 11 am to 3pm (25 August 1 September and 8 September) and we are looking at making the second three on the following three Saturdays.
If you are interested in finding out more as a volunteer or to get your bike checked email repaircafehavant@gmail.com
There are lots of groups coming up with ideas for building a greener economy. Here’s one from the Green Alliance https://www.green-alliance.org.uk/resources/Blueprint_for_a_resilient_economy.pdf
Air quality. FOE have recently produced a map of over 1000 places which are still exceeding air quality limits, including a number in Portsmouth. https://friendsoftheearth.uk/clean-air/mapped-more-one-thousand-locations-england-still-breaching-air-pollution-limits. “Failing to fix air pollution costs lives. It also shows a failure to address the climate crisis because the sources and solutions are intrinsically linked.”
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