< Back Aims of the Climate Conference for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin: 18th May Sarah Gibson 10 Apr 2024 Why we need to accelerate change and spur on climate action in our communities A conference at Shrewsbury Town Football Club on Saturday 18 May will bring people together to inspire and stimulate them to act within their communities to address the urgent changes required to bring about net zero. “The challenges are immense,” said Colin Preston of Zero Carbon Shropshire, one of the event organisers. “Carbon emissions in the Shropshire Council area are currently 2.5 million tonnes per year, we need to get this down to 1 million tonnes by 2030. In the Telford & Wrekin area emissions are 1 million tonnes per year and this needs to come down to 0.5 million tonnes by 2030.” Young people, who stand to be most affected by the consequences of climate change, will take a leading part in running the conference, including participants from Shropshire Wildlife Trust’s Environmental Leadership Programme for 18 – 25 year-olds. “ Our young leaders are passionate about finding new and different ways to do things and making change that starts in communities. As well as being a great opportunity for them to meet and create connections with organisations working towards the same goals in the county, they will be helping to draw out key actions that will be taken by communities going forward from this day,” said Jen Allerton, Youth Engagement Officer at Shropshire Wildlife Trust. During the morning there will be a series of short talks. First up will be Dr Sam Hampton, a climate behaviour expert from Bath University, who will talk about the power of individuals to influence the political agenda and make lifestyle choices that drive down emissions when action is taken collectively, helping to keep the global temperature rise within safe limits. Other speakers will focus on the particular challenges faced by different sectors including land, nature, food and farming; transport, energy and housing and the circular economy. The afternoon will bring people together into workshops to explore and share skills and knowledge with the aim of encouraging public engagement and collaboration. Tickets available now The conference is open to individuals, groups and businesses. Tickets can be booked at Eventbrite with the option either to make a donation or for free tickets. Lunch is provided. Environmental groups and small businesses are invited to take out a stand at the conference for a small fee. To register an interest in this please complete the online form . The event is being organised by Zero Carbon Shropshire, South Shropshire Climate Action and Save Our Shropshire and sponsored by Shropshire Homes and Kier. “As a company which has implemented its own green initiative, Shropshire Homes is pleased to support the Climate Conference. We believe it is an important event to encourage the county’s organisations to work together to make a real difference to climate change in Shropshire and the wider area,” said Rebecca Hayward. Previous Next

< Back Watch Channel 4’s “The Great Climate Fight” documentary Mike Watkins 21 Nov 2023 Featuring Bishop's Castle Heat and Wind Project Channel 4’s two-part documentary “The Great Climate Fight” with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Mary Portas and Kevin McCloud argues that Net Zero can be achieved, the only thing preventing this is the government. The programme demonstrates that going green is now cheaper, studies how other countries are doing it, and puts it all to UK Government ministers. You can watch Bishop's Castle Heat and Wind Project feature in Episode 1 at 14 minutes and 20 seconds . Bishop’s Castle’s Climate and Environment group, Lightfoot, have described how “Keo Films spent many days with us, earlier this year, documenting the progress and obstacles we face in getting this wind-powered heat network through the early stage of the planning process, especially as the wind turbine planned to provide most of the power for the Energy Centre (to be near the college and SpArC) is proposed to be just inside the AONB, at the Conery. Full planning application is still a year away but we have been through a lot of hurdles via pre-planning and fund-raising. A 6-month long ecology study of the wind turbine site is currently underway, together with further grant applications and a planned, full Feasibility Study.” 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 Save Our Shropshire to deliver low-carbon education for businesses for Shropshire Chamber of Commerce Richard Watkins 30 Apr 2024 SME's can book now on SOS's carbon literacy courses in June and July Previous Next

Shropshire Climate Action: Local lobbying Local lobbying Why lobby? Making climate-friendly personal choices is important. However , we know that behavioural changes by individuals and their local communities cannot reduce carbon emissions on the scale scientists tell us is crucial to avoid catastrophic climate change. National and Local Government and businesses must take action too . How to lobby Take a look at Market Drayton Climate Action's website and their dedicated Lobbying section for inspiration, suggested content and contacts on who to lobby by topic. Every month their members lobby those who can make changes at scale. This may be: companies extracting fossil fuels the banks and pension funds who invest in them and other organisations with large carbon footprints. You can also write directly to government leaders and potential leaders, nationally and regionally, holding them to account for climate promises broken and demanding the serious, strong actions we expect from them. Join the local lobbying network Climate and environment groups across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin are working together to share their lobbying efforts. If you would like to be added to the What’s App group set up for this purpose, please email contact@shropshireclimateaction.org to request this. This will require you to provide your mobile phone number. You can help the Climate and Nature (CAN) Bill by writing to your local MP. The Zero Hour (CAN) website helps people create letters: to our local MPs who are already supporters of the CAN Bill (Julia Buckley, Labour, Shrewsbury and Helen Morgan, Lib Dem, North Shropshire) and local MPs that have not yet agreed to support it (Mark Pritchard, Conservative, The Wrekin, Stuart Anderson, Conservative, South Shropshire, Shaun Davies, Labour, Telford). Groups that want to get more involved in the CAN campaign can use this pack of resources which has lots of ideas, including template press releases, downloadable materials and a pack of social media resources . Write to your MP You can also write to your local MP to demand action in relation to climate change policies. Click her e and type in your postcode to find your MP . Or use the details below to contact your MP. You can call, email or w rite to them. As long as you are within their constituency they are obligated to respond . North Shropshire - Helen Morgan 01939 809387 1st Floor Offices Maypole Court Wem SY4 5AA Click here to email Telford - Shaun Davies 01952 973714 House of Commons London SW1A 0AA Click here to email South Shropshire - Stuart Anderson 01584 872187 Ludlow Constituency Conservative Association 54 Broad Street Ludlow SY8 1GP Click here to email Shrewsbury - Julia Buckley 01743 650434 64 Wyle Cop Shrewsbury SY1 1UX Click here to email The Wrekin - Mark Pritchard 01952 256080 25 Church Street Wellington TF1 1DG Click here to email

< Back Climate campaigners find common ground with Helen Morgan, North Shropshire MP John Hargreaves 18 Oct 2024 On the topics of awareness raising, pensions, energy and farming Helen Morgan MP met climate activists from Market Drayton, Wem and Whitchurch on 18 October, as part of the national Common Ground initiative by the Climate Coalition. The North Shropshire climate campaigners joined hundreds around the country who met their local Members of Parliament to discuss how to work together for effective action in the face of climate breakdown. ‘We appreciated Helen Morgan’s commitment to climate action, including her support for the important Climate and Nature bill now before Parliament, as well as her very well-informed and positive approach to the issues we discussed. We look forward to working together in the future to support climate action at local and national levels,’ said John Hargreaves, Chair of Market Drayton Climate Action. At the meeting Helen Morgan responded to four specific requests, as well as sharing her insights into some of the challenges and political approaches to action on climate. The importance of leadership in influencing public awareness of climate issues Helen Morgan agreed that although significant action on climate must come at government level, widespread community understanding and support will be required. The climate campaigners asked for Ms Morgan to help build public awareness of the issues by using opportunities in her communications to refer to climate links in many of the initiatives and areas in which she is involved. She responded that this is an area she will bear in mind in future. Ms Morgan pointed out that communicating about the climate emergency is challenging in the face of social media responses from climate deniers, and that biodiversity issues are often received more readily. Climate campaigners can support Ms Morgan in referring to climate by using social media to welcome her comments. Pension holdings in fossil fuels Liberal Democrat policy is for all pension funds to be divested from fossil fuels. Although locally there have been repeated efforts urging the Shropshire Pension Fund to stop fossil fuel investments, there have been negative responses or no response at all. The climate groups asked Helen Morgan to write to the Chair of the Shropshire Pension Fund to ask what steps they are taking to divest as a matter of urgency from fossil fuels, which she agreed to do. Supporting farmers to move to sustainable practice North Shropshire is an agricultural area in which we are witnessing loss of biodiversity and the increasingly the detrimental impact of bigger farms, including impacts on carbon emissions. The climate campaigners asked Helen Morgan to write on behalf of farmers in North Shropshire to ministers in Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs to ask about how they are planning across departments to incentivise sustainable practice which will be manageable, accessible and economically viable for farmers. Ms Morgan said she would write to the ministers, and also that she expects Tim Fallon as Liberal Democrat lead on farming to be active on these issues in Parliament. Barbara Cotterell from Wem Area Climate Action mentioned the possibility of a farming forum in Wem next year, which Ms Morgan could consider attending. Energy efficiency and renewable energy Chloe King from Wem, who works for an energy charity, gained Ms Morgan’s agreement to write to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, asking for retrofit grants to be reformed and to be more accessible. Chloe will send supporting data on experience with the difficulty in gaining support through the grants. Ms Morgan also described cross-party support in Parliament for requiring solar panels on all new builds, as well as moves to require landlords to upgrade housing to be more energy efficient. On behalf of the climate groups, John Hargreaves thanked Ms Morgan for her willingness to support climate action. ‘It is heartening for us to have national representation that recognises the crucial steps that must be taken toward a safe and healthy future,’ he said. Previous Next

< Back Net Zero Progress - How are we doing in Shropshire? - not well - a NWRR update Nancy Stewart 1 Mar 2025 How the North West Relief Road for Shrewsbury jeopardises Shropshire's climate commitments Shropshire Council risks tearing up its climate commitments as it continues to push for the construction of the proposed North West Relief Road (NWRR). Following a recent recalculation of the carbon emissions associated with the road, the planning officer has admitted this project will undermine the council's 2030 net zero targets. Building the NWRR contradicts the meaning of ‘emergency’ in the climate crisis. In recommending the NWRR be approved by the planning committee, the planning officer sought to downplay its impact by stating that although the additional emissions would burst through Shropshire’s carbon budget, compared to global emissions it would be a relatively small amount. The Council could shift to 2050 as a target for net zero, he said. The proposed NWRR scheme remains controversial ahead of May’s elections, with different candidates in favour or opposing it. Why not ask your prospective councillors what their views are? Market Drayton Climate Action has recently responded to a few of the arguments made in favour of the NWRR in response to the group raising these issues: Pro: ‘For Market Drayton residents using the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, the NWRR will provide a much quicker option than that offered at present. This would be particularly important during a medical emergency.’ Response: We would like to make an equally emotional appeal: that by hugely weakening our response to the climate emergency, we are going to be facing more medical emergencies in Market Drayton. Pro: To offset the carbon emissions of the NWRR ‘we are committing to the equivalent increase in carbon offsetting’. Response: Carbon offsets have a very dubious record and should never be used as an excuse for increasing dangerous emissions levels. Better Shrewsbury Transport comments: ‘We estimate that to absorb these emissions within ten years the council would need to plant around 1.4 million extra trees – and keep them alive.’ Pro: The NWRR will ‘deliver major reductions in traffic, congestion and air pollution in Shrewsbury and many surrounding villages, boost public transport, cycling and walking, and attract new jobs and investment into the county.’ Response: This is highly contestable: The UK Climate Change Committee says ‘“investment in roads should be contingent on analysis justifying how they contribute to the UK’s pathway to Net Zero” – not to investment in the economy. Shropshire Council’s own modelling shows the road would have a limited effect on congestion in the town centre – while some roads might see peak flow reductions of 1 in 4 cars, many town centre roads will see no improvement. Meanwhile, traffic will increase on other roads servicing the new route. There is well established evidence that, rather than reduce congestion, new roads actually create more traffic and fail to deliver the economic benefits claimed (e.g. CPRE, 2017). Shropshire Council has not fully investigated the potential to reduce congestion by supporting walking, cycling and public transport. The Big Town Plan Masterplan for Shrewsbury has outlined exactly how these alternative measures could work but Shropshire Council has not included this in its traffic modelling. The original planning application for this road received a record-breaking 5400 objections, with only 220 people supporting it. Shrewsbury Town Council opposes the project. The revised carbon figures point firmly to the right course of action – immediate abandonment of plans for the NWRR.You can read Shropshire Climate Action's original review of the proposed road here . Our position that Shropshire can't meet its climate commitments if the road is built remains unchanged Previous Next

< Back Having climate conversations with the people you know Julie Howe 1 May 2025 We are the 89% who want their Governments to take action on climate Recent research found that 89% of people across the world want their national governments to do more to fight global heating. In the UK the figure is a still remarkable 82.4%, across the political spectrum. You would never believe this, reading much of the popular press or standing on a Climate Action stall. You might blame long-standing, well-funded misinformation campaigns by the fossil fuel industry, or political posturing. So why - when almost 9 out of 10 people worldwide are united in wanting action to fight the Climate crisis -do we so often remain silent? Experts believe it is because they wrongly think only a minority share their views. We are social creatures, and research has shown we are hugely influenced by how we perceive others think. If we can challenge this self-fulfilling bubble of silence by making people aware that their pro-climate view is, in fact, by far the majority view, we can unlock a social tipping point and push leaders into the Climate action so urgently needed. So this month, why don’t we all join Market Drayton Group and raise the subject of Climate change in ONE conversation and be sure to make the point that across the globe 89% of people want more action from their governments. That would be over 1000 tiny pricks in the bubble of silence. Here are some useful guides to help you get started: Client Earth Talk Climate Change or watch a video here . 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

Shropshire Climate Action: Car travel Car travel Clean Air: How to tackle air pollution in our communities Air pollution is a hidden environmental and health challenge. The most common and hazardous pollutants are: Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a gas that comes from combustion processes powering petrol and diesel vehicles Particulate matter (PM), small airborne particles released from tyres and brakes. Air pollution contributes to 43,000 premature deaths each year in the UK.  Health risks from this air pollution include asthma, lung disease, and heart attacks. Air pollution is particularly harmful to children and the elderly. In Shropshire there are several poor air ‘hotspots’: Shrewsbury (Castle Hill area) and Bridgnorth (Pound St area) have Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) due to having exceeded 40ug/m3 of NO2. The M54, A5, A41 and A49 are also major traffic routes. There are also industrial and industrialised agricultural sites. What can we do to improve air quality? Avoid driving into towns, especially at peak times. Use the park and ride for Shrewsbury and local bus and trains where you can. Walk or cycle for shorter routes if you can. Do not sit in your car and have the engine running (idling). Not only is this illegal (Highway Code rule 123) but it reduces the vehicle’s fuel economy, costs money, and creates pollution. Idling for more than 10 seconds uses more fuel and produces more emissions than stopping and restarting the engine does. Use this guide and email proforma to report engine idling to Shropshire Council. Read more information on engine idling. (data from Living Streets and Shropshire Council ) 20's Plenty www.20splenty.org/briefings 20's Plenty for Us is a national movement with almost 700 local groups, campaigning for a speed limit of 20mph on residential streets and in town and village centres. Most of the UK's larger cities have adopted 20mph for their residential streets 28 million people in the UK live in places where 20mph is the urban/village norm At least 8 Shropshire town councils endorse the 20's Plenty campaign: Shrewsbury, Shifnal, Oswestry, Ludl ow, Bridgnorth, Bishop's Castle, Broseley, Cleobury Mortimer. There are multiple benefits including road safety, car bon emissions and environmental quality. Join the 20’s Plenty Facebook Campaigner’s Group or go to the 20's Plenty website. Photo credit: 20's Plenty Read more... Why the 20mph speed limit plan for Wales is a fantastic idea' | Will Hayward (August 2023) Car share clubs Co Wheels was set up to provide an environmentally friendly, community-based alternative to car ownership. Co Wheels has grown to become the UK’s largest community interest car club operator, operating pay-as-you go car clubs, pool car fleet management and franchise operations in over 60 towns and cities across the UK with a 24/7 call centre. Co Wheels’ Shropshire Car Club has cars in Shrewsbury and Ludlow. Y ou can join this Shropshire car share club here. CoMoUK is a national organisation that provides help with setting up new car share clubs Electric Vehicles Sustainable Bridgnorth’s leaflet provides useful inform ation on using electric vehicles for both short and longer journeys, how to charge your car at home and the costs involved. Read more here CANCELLED Shrewsbury North West Relief Road At a Shropshire Council cabinet meeting on the 9th July 2025, Shropshire Council's new leader, Cllr Heather Kidd, declared the Shrewsbury North West Relief Road "dead in the water". This is a huge victory in terms of preventing ~140,000 tonnes of emissions and massive nature destruction, including the loss of veteran trees like the Darwin Oak. Campaigners across Shropshire helped make this happen by raising the alarm about the project's spiralling costs and environmental damage, helping to ensure it didn't progress. The proposed road was due to be constructed between the A5 at Welshpool Road roundabout to the Ellesmere Road roundabout and estimated to emit about 70,000 tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e), taking until at least 2070 to offset these emissions. Read our objection here Read our Independent Critical Assessment

< Back The inaugural walk for our Walk Through Bridgnorth’s Green Spaces leaflet Fiona Morgan 17 Jun 2023 A walk designed to promote Wellbeing and Nature in Bridgnorth On Saturday 17th June we were delighted to launch the latest in our series of self-guided walk leaflets - the Walk through Bridgnorth’s Green Spaces - which has been produced in partnership with South Shropshire Climate Action, Sustainable Bridgnorth and Bridgnorth Library with the support of other groups including Shropshire Wildlife Trust, Energize, Bridgnorth Town Council, Community Resource and Buglife. 15 of us turned up in the first rains we had had in June for the inaugural walk which was led by the Chair of Shropshire Wildlife Trust, Bridgnorth branch. The walk was done at a leisurely pace, taking 2 hours to explore the green spaces around Bridgnorth’s High and Low Town including churchyard gardens, parks, a riverside walk, and the old alleys and paths in the town. During the walk we saw house martins swooping around Bridgnorth Bridge and geese and their baby goslings resting on the banks of the River Severn. A kingfisher was seen by one of the party darting under the bridge. We heard chiff chaff, wren and greenfinch from a spot overlooking the cliffs on the other side of the river which are also the haunt of peregrine falcons. A pitstop was made halfway round the walk at Our Green Shop (Bridgnorth’s zero waste refill shop) to buy much needed refreshments and snacks. We then headed back up to the High Town and leant about the fascinating history of the town and the history of Bridgnorth Libraries from members of Sustainable Bridgnorth and Emma Spenser, Branch Manager, Bridgnorth Library & Visitor Information Point. We finished with a stroll through Castle Park Gardens, where the second Bridgnorth Green Festival will be held on Saturday 9th September, and viewed the bug house and swallow boxes installed in the grounds of St Mary’s Church. If you are interested in doing the walk around Bridgnorth you can find the walk leaflet on the South Shropshire Climate Action website . The walk contains a variety of accessible route and more strenuous routes which include steps. The original walk leaflet, A Walk through Ludlow’s Green Spaces has also recently been revised and updated and can be accessed via the SSCA website too. We hope both walks will be used by people and groups of all ages to promote their physical and mental wellbeing through connecting people to the pockets of Nature that exist in our urban spaces and to promote sustainable tourism in south Shropshire. The more people connect to, and care about, Nature, the more they will act to protect it. Previous Next

< Back The Smart Energy Network Demonstrator (SEND) at Keele University Clive Dyson 8 Mar 2023 SSCA's field visit to Keele University to see their renewable energy park Mike Bourke, Susan Lockwood and Clive and Kate Dyson visited Keele University on Wednesday 8th March 2023 to see the renewable energy park and the Smart Energy Network Demonstrator (SEND). Keele University operates its own electricity distribution network, so is in a good position to experiment, somewhat isolated from the grid. It has two wind turbines, generating up to 1.7 MW, and an array of 12,500 solar panels, generating up to c. 5.5 MW. It also has a c. 2 MWh battery. On the cold, clouded winter day of our visit it was supplying about two thirds of the energy demand of the campus. There is also an export grid connection rated at about 1 MW. Alongside the energy park, it has been running a Smart Energy Network Demonstrator project, with support from Siemens (I believe it’s had research funding as well). This controls the generation system, use of electricity across the campus and export to / import from the grid. SEND also provides support to local enterprises, assisting them to develop energy-efficient low carbon solutions, and adding 120 new jobs and £40 million gross value added (GVA) to the regional economy. The University also carries out research and development in relation to low-carbon technologies, new energy products and data management systems. For example, it successfully trialled OFGEM’s Hydeploy project to inject 20% Green hydrogen into the University’s wholly owned gas network, testing its safety in the existing pipes and boilers and reducing carbon emissions by 7%. This project is now being taken forward on a larger scale in Gateshead, involving local homes, schools and other public buildings. Keele is also participating in a consortium of eight regional universities in the HyDEX programme to promote a new hydrogen industrial economy. During our visit we viewed the energy park, and learned of its positive impact on local biodiversity. During a (much warmer!) time spent in the impressive control centre we learned about the monitoring systems, the relationship of renewable energy developments to the planning regime, and the constraints of a decentralized community system like this in relation to the National Grid. This is a marvellous regional resource, and we hope to arrange further visits by key local organisations. We are most grateful to the staff of SEND for such a memorable learning experience. Previous Next