If you’ve not heard of 10:10, the campaign to cut carbon emissions by 10% in 2010, then listen up. The campaign is open to anybody, from organisations to individuals, businesses to charities, who want to make a commitment to reduce their carbon footprints and help in the fight against runaway climate change and aims to unite everybody in a communal effort to cut carbon.
The Green Village News Tagged ‘climate change’
Stoke-on-Trent Becomes The First City To Sign Up To 10:10
Thursday, November 26th, 2009Brixton Pound Moves Town Closer To ‘Transition Town’ Status
Wednesday, September 16th, 2009
Brixton will be taking a step in the direction of market towns Stroud, Totnes and Lewes with the launch of the Brixton Pound on Thursday 17th September. As the economy is still in the throes of recession, the concept of transition towns is being looked at as a model that could help ease the economic tensions by encouraging communities to become more self-supporting, as well as helping combat the problems of peak oil and climate change added to by transportation of goods from around the world.
It is hoped the launch of the new currency, which will not replace pounds sterling in Brixton but will be available as an alternative for customers, who will be offered their change in Brixton pound notes, will help keep money within the local economy. The currency will be available in £1, £5, £10 and £20 notes and a large number of businesses in the area have bought into the idea, agreeing to accept payment for goods or services in the local currency, either solely in Brixton pounds or in conjunction with sterling.
NHS Prescribed Green Initiatives To Help Cut Costs and Save Lives
Wednesday, August 19th, 2009
The NHS has the biggest carbon footprint of the whole UK public sector, emitting over 18 million tonnes of CO2 per year. In an effort to help reduce costs, save lives and help reduce the carbon emissions of the organisation, a handbook providing guidance to key decision-makers in the NHS has been issued along with a letter from the President of UK Faculty of Public Health, Professor Alan Maryon-Davis, the Director of the NHS Sustainable Development Unit, David Pencheon, the Chief Executive of the NHS, David Nicholson, and the Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation, Steve Barnett.
The handbook, ‘Sustaining a Healthy Future – Taking action on climate change (with a special focus on the NHS)’ outlines a number of motives for the health authority to put measures in place to reduce the huge levels of greenhouse gases emitted every year. As well as making a significant contribution towards the government’s targets for reduced levels of carbon emissions by 2020, the organisation is also facing up to their responsibility to act to prevent serious effects of climate change caused by global warming that would inevitably affect the world’s poorest nations with most impact.
Age Of Stupid Premiere In Australia And New Zealand
Tuesday, August 18th, 2009
Climate change film ‘The Age of Stupid’ will see Pete Postlethwaite posing the question of why we didn’t do something to save ourselves to Australia and New Zealand at tomorrow’s premiere. The premiere will be the follow on from the low carbon example set by the UK premiere in March which set a Guiness world record for the largest simultaneous film premiere with people watching the live link-up with London from cinemas across the UK.
The premiere will see the return of the green carpet for celebrities to walk up, and will have a number of guest speakers including the head of Greenpeace in Australia, a Senator and there is even the chance that the Australian Prime Minister may join the event by telephone. In addition to this, there will be a satellite link to a boat in the Arctic where explorer Eric Phillips will be on board waiting to join in discussions, a video message from some children in Copenhagen will pass on their message to world leaders, and viewers will be able to send text messages to question the director and producer team, Franny Armstrong and Lizzie Gillett after the film.
Christian Aid Hunt For Cyclists To Join Climate Change Rally In Copenhagen
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009
Charity Christian Aid is looking to put together a team of 50 cyclists of all levels of cycling ability to take part in a bike ride from London setting off on 9th December 2009. The group will arrive in Copenhagen in time for the start of the Climate Change Summit to join the thousands of climate protesters hoping to get their voices heard for decisive action to be taken in the fight against climate change.
The 140 mile journey will take place between 9th and 16th December with participants covering between 25 and 60 miles per day. The journey will take the cyclists through the English countryside to Harwich where the party will board a ferry. Following this, the route will continue through the Danish Islands until the riders reach Copenhagen itself. They will then get the opportunity to spend two days enjoying the city before returning to the UK.
Andrew Adonis Commits To New Greener Transport System
Tuesday, July 21st, 2009
Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis has announced government plans to improve the green credentials of the UK’s transport networks. Through the introduction of a number of new ambitious schemes, it is hoped that the carbon emissions caused by transportation within the UK can be significantly reduced.
Transport is currently responsible for causing 21% of the UK’s total carbon emissions, and as a result, Lord Adonis has identified this as a key area for helping Britain meet its targets for cutting emissions by 80% by 2050. The government will achieve this by investing in public transport, such as improving train services and further electrification of the rail network, investing in low carbon vehicles and, something which Adonis says is close to his own heart, ensuring a greater provision of bicycle storage facilities at railway stations to encourage greater transport integration through a promise of £5 million worth of investment.
New Treeplanting Schemes Not The Answer To Deforestation
Friday, July 10th, 2009
Deforestation has long been known to be a crime against the planet and of serious detriment to the environment. Rainforests that have covered the land for thousands of years are being eaten into every day with little or no regard for the consequences once this valuable carbon sink has been destroyed in order to feed the developed world’s hunger for consumer products.
New schemes are now being put into place however to try and help launch regeneration of the lost rainforests in countries such as Ghana where the area of rainforest remaining has been significantly reduced by the uncompromising greed for the forest’s wood. Hundreds of tree seedlings are being grown and the world’s worst polluters can purchase trees to be planted where deforestation has occurred in order to offset some of their business’s carbon emissions.
Scottish Parliament Sets Precedent In Cutting Carbon Emissions
Sunday, July 5th, 2009
After three years of campaigning for stronger commitments in reducing carbon emissions, Stop Climate Chaos Scotland’s work has paid off. On 24th June the Scottish Parliament announced that Scotland would be implementing its own Climate Bill; one that gives a stronger commitment to cutting CO2 emissions than any other act around the world.
The Scottish Climate Change Bill will see commitments to reduce emissions by at least 42% by 2020, a significant difference to the 34% reduction target set by the UK government last year, and additionally commits Scotland to have cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80% compared to 1990 levels by 2050, which is in line with current UK targets.
Obama Accused Of Watering Down Climate Change Bill
Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
Barack Obama has been accused of watering down the climate change bill following pressure from coal and oil companies. The policy that originally would have required companies wanting to build greenhouse gas emitting power stations and producing carbon emissions to pay for a permit and penalised them per tonne for carbon emitted has been diluted following discussions in Congress.
Criticism is borne from a number of changes, including a dramatic change in the percentage reduction in carbon emissions compared to 1990. This stands to be down to 4%, which Greenpeace’s Joss Garman pointed out on Newsnight tonight ought to be 40%. In addition, the carbon permits that were originally planned to be paid for will now be given out free to 85% of emitters; another aspect of the bill that is receiving criticism.
Saudi Arabian Oil Leader Says Renewable Energy Cannot Win Out Over Oil
Sunday, June 21st, 2009
Former President and Chief Executive Officer of Saudi Arabian Oil Company, Saudi Aramco, Mr Abdallah S. Jum’ah was the speaker at a Royal Academy of Engineering lecture and dinner on 17th June, which set out to discuss the issue of technology being the key to the sustainability of future energy generation.
In his address, Mr Jum’ah expressed his belief that fossil fuels will never be replaced by renewable energy, as there is still a plentiful supply of oil available for future generations to use; some of this however would be from unconventional sources such as tar sands, such as those in Canada. He argued that renewable energy sources used today, such as wind, solar and geothermal energy, contribute less than 1% to the energy we use, going on to say that he believed without considerable investment such as government subsidies to enable companies to improve efficiency, their market share would not increase.
