After the election – what now for climate action?

The future of the country is thrown open to new possibilities.

Young people turned out to vote in record numbers. Now politicians need to respond to those who have the biggest stake in securing a secure future on a liveable planet.

We don’t know how national politics will play out in the coming days and months.
But we know that the UK needs to align ourselves internationally with progressive nations, not with Donald Trump’s climate denial and dishonesty. We need to invest in climate jobs, taking advantage of cheap renewable energy, and building essential infrastructure. We need to make sure Brexit doesn’t scupper environmental protection.

What happens next? Can we trust Conservative minority government supported by the DUP?  While climate change scepticism is not official party “policy”, the DUP has previously appointed a denier as environment minister in Northern Ireland. The Campaign against Climate Change  has spoken out against the Conservative government’s backtracking on important climate change policies in the past two years. If the plan is to carry on with more of the same, however, they will find it difficult.

They will face ever stronger community resistance to fracking, legal challenges against dangerous schemes such as Heathrow expansion, and opposition from all those determined to take action to put the planet and the people who live on it, before profit. Join us.

Air Pollution in Derby and other Green Forum matters

The Derby Green Forum was held on Thursday 25 May 2017 and was attended by 33 people, from a wide variety of backgrounds. Three councillors were there (the Deputy Leader of the Council – Martin Rawson, Lucy Care and the new mayor – John Whitby (who said that his priority was promoting all green agenda) along with a number a number of officers from Derby City Council.

The notes for the meeting can be accessed by clicking here  Derby Green Forum Minutes 25 May 2017.

Air Pollution was the principal item . The map, shown above, shows the relationship between traffic and air pollution. This has been taken from the presentation by Karl Suschitzky’s,  from the City Council  Environmental Protection team. This is merely a screen shot from the Council’s public mapping portal which is available for access by anyone at the following address: http://maps.derby.gov.uk/  then you need to use the ‘choose an option’ drop downs in the top left corner to select ‘environment and protection’ and then select the ‘air quality management areas’ layer. Helpfully, you can zoom in on any specific location to look at the air quality in more detail in specific areas. Continue reading Air Pollution in Derby and other Green Forum matters