The cynic in me was reminded of the old saying. “First they ignore you. Then they ridicule and attack you. Next they tell you they are on your side but we need to act carefully and move slowly. Finally, they tell you it was all their idea in the first place.”
The better side of my nature came to a more constructive conclusion. I don’t care how politicians from all sides get round to accepting that action urgently needs to happen. It is the action that matters not who does it. We need to positively welcome others stealing our policies.
What follows is the text of what I said at the full council meeting.
“I am hoping that this climate change emergency motion is going to be widely supported from all sides. It represents an important signal of intent.
So why do we need to prepare for a climate emergency?
Firstly because of the facts of the science
- Levels of carbon dioxide in the environment have reached 417 ppm and they are still rising fast
- it is unarguable scientific fact that C02 traps heat
- it is unarguable scientific fact that this is a level that hasn’t existed in human history
- Levels started to rise with industrialisation
- Levels of methane, an even more damaging gas, are also continuing to rise
- More extreme weather
- Higher temperatures
- A time lag so problems will continue to increase even after we stop and reduce emissions
- Rising costs if we act later because that is a lot more expensive than acting early
- Floods in Hebden Bridge that were meant to be greater than once in a 100 year events happening three times in a decade
- Boxing day floods that tore away the bridge at Tadcaster on the Wharfe and came close to doing the same thing to two bridges in my Aire Valley ward
- Record winter temperatures with 20 degree heat in February
- Record all time summer temperatures
- Just last week floods in Richmondshire
So what can Craven do? Why should a little local council take action on a global problem?
The answer is simple. We need to act because everyone needs to contribute and we can both make a difference and set a good example.
We have already taken some very useful action and credit to those officers who came up with these ideas and the members from all sides who backed them. For example the decision to steadily replace our fleet of bin lorries with electric vehicles is hugely positive. It saves on idling fumes which helps the health of our employees and of local children and at the same time it saves on emissions and on running costs. It also gives an excellent and very visible example of change. We’ve also taken a decision to fit electric vehicle charging points in some of our car park. It has been grindingly slow to implement but this will help visitor numbers, ease the transition to new technology, advertise the need for change, and do so at zero cost to council because of a private partnership arrangement.
There are other things that we could have done but haven’t. We could have used the local plan to equip more homes for the future. Putting electric vehicle charging points into every new homes was announced by the outgoing May government as national policy. We should have done that locally first. We should also have required all new homes in Craven to generate more energy than they use as this could have been done easily via modern technology such as heat exchange systems or solar panels. We could have prepared changes to our burial services to get ready for more requests from families for woodland burials instead of cremations. Failing to do that puts over £400,000 of council income a year at risk as well as missing a chance to be more environmentally sensitive.
These are just examples of some things we can do. Members on all sides will be able to think of other and better ideas. The real value of this motion is that it doesn’t presume to know all the answers. It doesn’t tell us how to make the necessary changes. It simply provides a statement of urgent intent and leave space for all our staff and all our political groups to think of ways of delivering that intent in all of the things we do.
I am therefore hoping that passing the motion will be relatively uncontroversial. I understand some will worry about committing ourselves to being carbon neutral in such a tight timescale. It is indeed ambitious to achieve this by 2030.
I simply ask this of all members. Faced with such enormous problems is it better for us to give a symbol of our desire to act with real purpose or to look like we’d prefer to wait and see and to dither?
If we want to attract more young people to remain or to relocate to this area we need a reputation of being forward looking. This will help. If we want our businesses to be successful in a changing world then once again this will help to increase the drive to be at the forefront of change.
I therefore ask people on both sides of this room to vote for this motion unaltered.”
The voting, in a Council that is led by the Conservative Group 0f 16 members and contains 9 independents of a wide spectrum of views, 3 Labour, 2 Green and one LibDem councillors was unanimous. I suspect this is the first Conservative controlled council to pass a motion proposed by the Green Party unweakened and unanimously. A hopeful sign for the future.
Now for implementation! My thanks to extinction rebellion members for applauding the outcome spontaneously and promising to hold the council to its commitments and to everyone who helped get our new Green Councillor David Noland elected in May so that we could propose this motion and win it so resoundingly.