Monday, July 18, 2005

climate change not important here - Strange message to built environment industries and home owners

Reported in today’s Guardian, the government is reportedly set to drop energy efficiency plans for older properties and delay introduction of regulations for new houses. This sends the wrong signal to an industry which is struggling to increase commitment and awareness of climate change issues. This comes surprisingly so soon after the governments sustainability strategy (which promised, or hinted at tougher targets for construction) and commitments at G8.

With the construction and related industries contributing 49% of total UK carbon emissions, the governments plan to reduce building, and particularly home, carbon footprints, it is sad, if this report is correct, that these plans are to be postponed or scrapped.

Without the support of the built environment industry the government cannot meet their overall climate change targets and ambitions. These measures would have stopped an estimated 500,000 tonnes of carbon entering the atmosphere by 2010.

So it seems the message is business as usual for the industry – with maintenance and running costs meeting the costs of greening buildings in the future. Meanwhile the environment will continue to deteriate.

Source – Guardian 18/07/05 or www.societyGuradian.co.uk/housing

Thursday, July 14, 2005

Strategy Document

download location for UK SD 2005 - click on Strategy

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

UK 2005 SD strategy = a helpful definition?

Are we witnessing a new direction and definition for sustainability and sustainable development? Just ploughing through the 188 pages UK 2005 sustainable development strategy (– of which I participated within its 2004 consultation programme), leads me to believe we could be. The ‘clumsy’ old 4-point definition that included the high or stable economic growth walnut has been replaced by a more comprehensive definition:

The goal of sustainable development is to enable all people throughout the world to satisfy their basic needs and enjoy a better quality of life, without compromising the quality of life of future generations.

For the UK Government and the Devolved Administrations, that goal will be pursued in an integrated way through a sustainable, innovative and productive economy that
delivers high levels of employment; and a just society that promotes social inclusion,
sustainable communities and personal wellbeing. This will be done in ways that protect
and enhance the physical and natural environment, and use resources and energy as
efficiently as possible.

Government must promote a clear understanding of, and commitment to, sustainable
development so that all people can contribute to the overall goal through their
individual decisions.

Similar objectives will inform all our international endeavours, with the UK actively
promoting multilateral and sustainable solutions to today’s most pressing environmental,
economic and social problems. There is a clear obligation on more prosperous nations
both to put their own house in order, and to support other countries in the transition
towards a more equitable and sustainable world.

This carefully crafted objective is supported by five powerful guiding principles:

Living Within Environmental Limits
Respecting the limits of the planet’s environment, resources and biodiversity – to improve our environment and ensure that the natural resources needed for life are unimpaired and remain so for future generations.
Ensuring a Strong, Healthy and Just Society
Meeting the diverse needs of all people in existing and future communities, promoting personal wellbeing, social cohesion and inclusion, and creating equal opportunity for all.
Achieving a Sustainable Economy
Building a strong, stable and sustainable economy which provides prosperity and opportunities for all, and in which environmental and social costs fall on those who impose them (polluter pays), and efficient resource use is incentivised.
Promoting Good Governance
Actively promoting effective, participative systems of governance in all levels of society – engaging people’s creativity, energy, and diversity.
Using Sound Science Responsibly
Ensuring policy is developed and implemented on the basis of strong scientific evidence, whilst taking into account scientific uncertainty (through the precautionary principle) as well as public attitudes and values.

There is nice linkage within the strategy – from global to national to local, and from government to personal consumption. There is also a sense of action - words such as improving, rather than protecting are welcome. But where are the Big Ideas as Jonathon Porritt questioned recently in Green Futures? Sustainability, to misquote Einstein, needs new ways of thinking, this strategy only hints at and sets the scene for what those new ways could be. Hopefully not just rhetoric but an important milestone.

Now, what remains of interest to watch is the governments adoption of their own strategy within the public construction and facilities sector – for example within future PFI’s.



Friday, July 08, 2005

when we tug at nature...........

meanwhile this in the Guardian 06.07.05. Community involvement in action...

Democracy in question

It is hard to believe that anyone could answer yes to the following: is it worth destroying the burial ground of an East Saxon king, cutting down 113 mature trees, and covering in concrete 3000 sq metres of Priory Park in order to save Southend motorists less than three minutes on a journey down the A1159? When asked, nearly 20,000 people in the town answered no, and 16 said yes. That was without considering the price tag of £11.2m to turn an 870-metre stretch of road into dual carriageway. Southend borough council sided with the 16 and decided that cutting congestion is worth the sacrifice of its heritage and the park, given to the town by a local benefactor in the 1900s. Local protesters, still fighting the proposals, "reclaimed" the Saxon burial site by removing the fencing last week while awaiting the East of England regional assembly's decision on funding.

Arnold Schwarzenegger: It's not a time for talk. It's a time for action

I was impressed by this Arnie article within the Independent on Sunday - illustrating that the provision and use of buildings is intrinsicly liked to the global warming debate.

"In addition, with our Green Building Initiative, we have put the biggest user of electricity in California - the state government itself - on an energy diet. By requiring new state buildings to use the latest environmentally friendly and energy efficient design and construction methods, we will reduce electricity and water use by more than 20 per cent in our state-owned facilities"

"We have implemented the world's most stringent appliance and building efficiency standards. We are aggressively pursuing with the legislature my proposal to have one million solar-powered homes and buildings in California to save energy and reduce pollution."

"As John Muir, an immigrant from your islands who launched America's conservation movement here in California, once said: "When one tugs at a single thing in nature he finds it attached to the rest of the world.""

Quoting Muir is good with me - well done

Article at http://comment.independent.co.uk/commentators/article296377.ece