< Back A New Government: Fiona Morgan and Julie Howe 1 Aug 2024 Is this the Green revolution we have been waiting for? Since the new Labour Government came to power on 5 July, a number of announcements have been made regarding the transition to net zero. These include nine of the bills in the King’s Speech on the 17 July. Energy Setting up Great British Energy, a publicly owned company, that will invest in renewable energy: the Government’s overarching intention is to double onshore wind, triple solar power and quadruple offshore wind by 2030.[1] In relation to installing roof top solar, Ed Milliband (Energy Secretary) stated, “We will encourage builders and homeowners, in whatever way we can, to deliver this win-win technology to millions of addresses in the UK so people can provide their own electricity, cut their bills and at the same time help fight climate change.”[2] He also approved 3 massive solar farms in the East of England which will have a capacity of approx. 1.35 GW (around 10% of current capacity).[3] The Government has also lifted the effective ban on onshore windfarms in England and stated that the decision to approve a new coalmine in Cumbria in 2022 was unlawful, because emissions from burning coal were not considered in the planning decision.[4] Planning changes The Government has set out its intention to build 1.5 million homes, including on some green belt sites.[5] To what extent developers will be compelled to install solar and other renewables on new homes is not yet known. Nature According to the Guardian, ‘Little mention was made about Nature, other than the promise to “use development to fund nature recovery”, mainly through the Biodiversity Net Gain mechanism by which developers must restore and improve the natural environment and species habitats in return for being allowed to build.’[6] The Water (Special Measures) Bill aims to strengthen regulation, giving the water regulator new powers to ban the payment of bonuses if environmental standards are not met, to increase accountability for water executives and to increase investment in infrastructure.[7] Questions remain over the extent to which this will help to address pollution across Welsh and English waterways and beaches. Transport Other transport related bills that will have climate related impacts include the Better Buses Bill - councils across England will be able to determine the details of bus services provided by private companies, such as routes, timetables and standards.[8] There were several railway bills, including one taking passenger railway services back into public ownership and a high-speed rail (Crewe to Manchester) bill. The Sustainable Aviation Fuels Bill – begging the question: does such a thing exist? What do you think of the Climate Action-related announcements so far? How effective will they be? We would love to hear your opinions. Contact the team at admin@zerocarbonshropshire.org or fiona@mea.org.uk . [1] Make Britain a clean energy superpower, The Labour Party [2] Labour’s ‘rooftop revolution’ to deliver solar power to millions of UK homes, The Guardian [3] ibid [4] UK: Cumbria coalmine was unlawfully approved, Carbon Brief [5] From green energy to rivers, environment at heart of nine plans in king’s speech, The Guardian [6] ibid [7] Government introduces new bill to clean up water sector, Defra [8] Councils to get power to replicate London’s bus network nationwide, Evening Standard Previous Next

< Back Ludlow Quaker Meeting holds a Climate Fresk John Cherry 6 Nov 2024 Promoting discussion about the climate emergency and actions we can take in our communities In November Ludlow Quaker Meeting House members invited Sue Burnell and Kev Oubridge along to facilitate a half day Climate Fresk workshop using information cards based on data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports. This event was approached with some foreboding: could a game with cards be serious? It turned out to be both serious and thought-provoking. We used the cards to link the causes of climate change and its effects, for example the melting of glaciers leading to rising sea levels and flooding. Coming just before the terrible floods in Valencia, our pictures seemed prophetic. There was intense and noisy discussion and it became clear that the card labelled ‘Human Action’ was the root cause. Although there was little time to discuss practical action, it was clear that we should now address how our Meeting House could made more sustainable. If you are a community group or group of friends living in Shropshire or Telford and Wrekin and want to book a half day Climate Fresk workshops, which includes all the materials, find out more via the BizEd Projects website or email climate@bizedprojects.com Previous Next

< Back SSCA's reflections on COP15: UN Biodiversity Conference Nick Read 10 Jan 2023 Not to be confused with COP 27 on Climate Change which was held in Egypt in November, Montreal has recently hosted COP 15 (or the 15th Conference of the Parties) to the United National Convention on Biological Diversity. The Convention was signed in 1992 and adopted by every member state except the United States, which has signed but never ratified the treaty. COP 15 was due to be hosted by China, who still provided the Chair, but was held in Montreal because of the strict Covid-19 restrictions that China had been operating. The most important outcome of the conference was a commitment to significantly extend the level of protection of ecosystems from the current 17% and 10% of the world’s terrestrial and ocean areas respectively to at least 30% of the world’s land, inland waters, coastal areas and oceans (sometimes referred to as the 30x30 target) by the year 2030. Special attention is to be paid to areas deemed to be important for biodiversity, such as tropical rain forest.There were 23 targets agreed, including: Halving global food waste by 2030 Reducing government subsidies that harm nature by $500 billion a year Reducing to “near zero” the loss of areas of wildlife-rich habitat Minimizing, reducing or mitigating the effects of invasive alien species by at least 50% by 2030 There is a also a commitment to support developing countries financially to help implement some of these measures. Whilst broadly welcomed by environmental campaigners there is still concern that the words will not be matched by actions, but at least the words have been agreed. Previous Next

< Back Zero Carbon Shropshire’s AGM and Panel Discussion Fiona Morgan 17 May 2023 How can we accelerate action on the Climate and Ecological Emergencies? We attended Zero Carbon Shropshire's AGM and panel discussion on accelerating action on the Climate and Ecological Emergencies. We heard from experts and a panel of local decision makers including Ian Nellins and Julian Dean (both on the climate board for Shropshire Council), Philip Dunn MP (MP for Ludlow and Chair of the Environment Audit Committee), Carolyn Healy (Telford & Wrekin council), and Lawrence Kinnersley (Shropshire Wildlife Trust) who responded to questions from the audience. We asked how local councils (at parish, town and county level) could proactively engage young people in their decision making around the climate and ecological emergencies. Afterall young people and future generations are the ones who will be most impacted by these unfolding crises and they need their views be heard within our political processes. Previous Next

< Back Shropshire and Telford Community Energy (STCE) take ownership of Twemlows solar farm Robert Saunders 11 Nov 2023 Bringing the benefits of solar power to Shropshire communities Congratulations to STCE on their good news - they can proceed with taking local ownership of Twemlows solar farm for the benefit of our community, generating funds for local projects whilst producing green electricity. STCE, together with partners in Community Energy Together, have negotiated an increased junior loan offer from Power to Change and Big Society Capital. Through their portfolio of five share offers on Ethex, they have collectively raised over £1.3 million. By bringing Twemlows and the other solar farms into community ownership, they will generate a collective community benefit fund of around £20 million over the next 18 years to support other green schemes in and around Shropshire and Telford. Previous Next

< Back One month on from the Climate Conference - watch the film...and the next steps David Matthews 25 Jun 2024 Make your vote count on the 4th July for Climate and Nature .... It’s been just over a month since our climate conference. We’re delighted to be able to share the short film of the conference produced by local film maker Robin Fellows-Weir here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2ZPxhlq6r0 Accelerating action on the Climate crisis and Nature will need increased focus from government and business, but also a recognition by local people that everyone needs to reduce their consumption of resources and get their carbon emissions down below two tonnes per year. We need the people of Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin to join in, and to do so we can: Lead by example Listen to the concerns of family, friends and colleagues, and help them to understand the changes required Get involved in local action and share what we’re doing. In summarising the conference outputs, we identified some common threads that can give focus as to what and how we might look to the future: Collaborative working (what does this entail and how can it be achieved?) Skills sharing and training Developing a progressive conversation outside the “green bubble” Meeting people where they are Creating a Green Network Collaboration. The conference identified practical issues and challenges in areas such as Housing and Energy, Transport, Circular Economy, and Land, Nature, Food and Farming. These diverse topic areas require tangible actions, through targeted projects, case studies and exemplar initiatives and the development of fiscal mechanisms and incentives. The presentation slides for the key note speech by from Dr Sam Hampton (University of Oxford and University of Bath) "Collective action and behaviour change to tackle the climate crisis" can also be read here. Dr Sam Hampton Conference Key Note Speech 18.5.24 .pptx Download PPTX • 11.01MB We’re continuing to work on all the conference outputs, so please let us know if you’d like to get involved. We’re working on the creation of a climate coalition, with a programme of work over the next three years. We’ll keep you updated as these plans develop over the next couple of months. Finally, we have a great opportunity right now to use our voices to influence change. We can lobby election candidates and use our votes to encourage the new Government to take action on the Climate and Nature crises. Let’s do it! Previous Next

< Back Shropshire Council's plans for the North West Relief Road (NWRR) continue Fiona Morgan 1 Mar 2023 End the de facto ban on on-shore wind Shropshire Council has submitted 100 new planning documents for the NWRR to try and allay some of the concerns raised by statutory consultees such as the Environment Agency and Natural England in response to the first planning application (2021). However, according to Better Shrewsbury Transport, the revisions do not address any of the fundamental issues with the road which includes the destruction of wildlife habitat including ancient trees and vital hedgerows and the production of at least 50,000 tonnes of carbon. Moreover the revisions have increased the total area of land affected by the road by 40%. Shropshire Council is planning to spend at least £87 million, plus an unlimited overspend on constructing the NWRR. This is despite a recent Shropshire Council budget consultation asking for views on how to make £50 million in savings. A new round of public consultation is open if you wish to comment on the revised NWRR plans: you can email planning.northern@shropshire.gov.uk using the planning application reference no. 21/00924/EIA in the Subject and make sure you include your name and address or comment via the Shropshire Council Planning portal or use the online form found on the Road To Ruin Shropshire website The deadline for comments is 11 March 2023. However, Better Shrewsbury Transport hope that emails will be taken into account until the planning officers submit their report in May 2023. For more information about the history of the road and campaign please see the Better Shrewsbury Transport website. Meanwhile in Wales.... The Welsh Government following the review of their National Transport Plan has made the decision to scrap all major road building projects in Wales and ensure all future roads must pass a strict criteria including that they must not increase carbon emissions. Read the full article by Teleri Glyn Jones in the BBC online (published 14/2/23) here . Previous Next

< Back Have Your Say: Help shape the future of EV charging in Telford and Wrekin Sam Paul 24 Oct 2025 Survey now open Telford & Wrekin Council is inviting residents, businesses, and community groups to take part in a new series of public surveys aimed at improving electric vehicle (EV) charging across the borough. The survey is now and will be open for four weeks. It’s quick to complete, mobile-friendly, and tailored to different groups so you’ll be asked questions that are relevant to you. Your feedback will help guide future investment and planning, making sure EV infrastructure works for everyone, from daily commuters to visitors and local businesses. For more information: Have Your Say: Help shape the future of EV charging in Telford and Wrekin | Newsroom To complete the survey: https://online1.snapsurveys.com/j4gd16 Previous Next

< Back SSCA's reflections on COP27, 6th-20th November 2022, Egypt Fiona Morgan 1 Dec 2022 From global to local action The Global Picture Delegates at COP27 in Egypt last month reached a historic deal to set up a “loss and damage” fund to compensate those countries, primarily in the Global South, who have done the least to cause climate breakdown but who are being impacted the most by the damage of increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather patterns and conditions. However, this significant and long overdue commitment is completely undermined by the ongoing lack of agreement of all governments to phase down ALL fossil fuels. Without this, the efforts to stay below 1.5C will be beyond our reach, given that global tipping points are now being reached. To put this in perspective, back in May 1992 when the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change was formed, 178 member states unanimously agreed to bring CO2 emissions down to 1990 levels of 354 parts per million (ppm) by 2000. Since then annual emissions have climbed 65% and now stand at 420 ppm (levels stood at 280 ppm in the pre-industrial era). And so the fight for climate justice and climate stability goes on. According to Carbon Brief "Tuvalu also became the first country in the world to endorse the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative , which aims to trigger a global fossil-fuel phase-out through the establishment of an international treaty, in a similar way to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons .". You can endorse this campaign as an organisation or individual via the above weblink. We shall watch this development with interest. Meanwhile in Shropshire….We Clanged for COP27 On Saturday 12th November environmental groups across Shropshire Clanged for COP27 as part of a Global Day of Action organised by the Global Justice Coalition to raise the alarm about the Climate and Ecological Emergency. Gatherings took place in Wem, Market Drayton and Ironbridge where drums and saucepans were clanged and bells were rung to demand world leaders take climate action and provide financial support to the global south for the climate related damage they are facing. Previous Next

< Back Celebrating Marches Energy Agency 25th Anniversary Fiona Morgan and Nick Read 14 Oct 2022 SSCA's Project Co-ordinators deliver a talk at MEA's anniversary event In October SSCA’s Project Co-ordinators were invited to speak about South Shropshire Climate Action at Marches Energy Agency's 25th Anniversary celebration. The focus of the talks and discussions among those attending was on how to tackle the cost of living crisis and eradicate fuel poverty and how this aligns with getting to net zero carbon. With contributions from staff at Marches Energy Agency, Citizen's Advice, Wrekin Housing Group, Shropshire Council, Food Poverty Alliance, Zero Carbon Shropshire, Severn Wye, Community Resource, Shropshire Wildlife Trust, Evora Edge. It's by working together that we help to tackle these crises. Previous Next

< Back Artwork will highlight the global Climate Change impact Jane Cullen 1 Dec 2025 Using underwater sculpture to make a point At our South Shropshire online conference in May 2021 Gladys told us about life in the Pacific Ocean, where sea levels are rising at a life-altering rate. For example, one of Gladys’ childhood family picnic places had already disappeared underwater, when Gladys was still in her early twenties. The spot where Kale Island was is to be marked by a sculpture by English artist Jason deCaires Taylor. If underwater sculpture is new to you (as it was to me) you have a wonderful discovery coming your way, if you do know his work already why didn’t you tell us before?? In the coming months we will be launching a fundraising story on Crowdfunder to raise enough money to pay for a specialist barge to take the sculpture (more news to come) from Honiara (Solomon’s capital) to its permanent site. The British High Commission is contributing a major donation to this project but more funding is needed. Please look out for updates on what is happening, where and why and how, in this newsletter and the wider media. For an introduction to Jason’s amazing work around the world click here . Previous Next

< Back Oswestry Climate Action Hub (OsCAH) Sascha Robinson 1 Oct 2024 The community hub with a mission to "Make, Share, Grow, Repair" The Oswestry Climate Action Hub (OsCAH), based in the heart of the town centre at 36 Bailey Street, is transforming the local community by empowering residents with an endless supply of events and initiatives from mends and upcycling, to skill shares, to growing your own plants. Their mission is simple: "Make, Share, Grow, Repair". Talking to Hannah, one of the OsCAH organisers, it’s clear that they want to develop a community-driven group. As environmental concerns grow, it serves as a beacon of hope in the centre of Oswestry. When attending their ‘crafts and mend’ on Sunday afternoon, I met a handful of their regulars engrossed in activity. The fact that I can even say ‘regulars’ emphasises how welcoming the hub has become. People want to come back, again and again. Newcomers popped in throughout the afternoon, grabbing a cuppa and engaging in the session. In this space, you were allowed the time to learn and understand without judgement. I left feeling revitalized with the passion to ‘do more’, which is the important part of OsCAH: encouraging everyone to be more climate conscious whilst building a space welcome for all. Climate action shouldn’t weigh you down with the feeling that you aren’t doing enough; it should energise you. OsCAH intends for you to leave with a new climate conscious skill which you can pass on to those around you. OsCAH are currently raising funds to support the long-term future of the hub. If you are interested in finding out more please email communityoswestry@gmail.com Previous Next