Climate Change £1bn Cut Action Plan – How feasible is this?

*A Article*

The Birmingham Post has recently reported that the new ‘Climate Change Action Plan‘ entails a proposed £1 billion energy bill cut over the next 15 years in Birmingham alone, but is this too ambitious?

The proposed plan will mean that everyone will be expected to contribute to the effort, including every household, local business, and organisation.

Birmingham City council plans to invest money in ‘alternative energy sources’ in order to play their part, which they hope will help cut the city’s usual energy bill.

‘Council officials have estimated the city’s total energy consumption, at current prices, costs £2.2 billion a year – £1.5 billion for gas and electricity and £700 million for petrol and diesel’. (Birmingham Post)

Birmingham City Council speaks out

Birmingham Recycled approached a number of council officials and members of ‘green organisations’ in order to get their views on the proposed cuts, and whether they were feasible for the city to make.

Cllr Paul Tilsley, Deputy Leader of Birmingham City Council, is optimistic that the hefty targets can be achieved, having already made “huge strides forward on the green agenda”, by managing to cut carbon emissions by 103,000 tonnes last year alone.

‘Birmingham has already shown its commitment through initiatives on district energy, electric vehicles and housing retrofitting, but keeping up this level of progress will be challenging, which is why it is essential to have a structured approach to tackling the issue in the form of the Birmingham Climate Change Action Plan.’

‘There is plenty of work still to do but we now have a road map that plots how we can reach the ambitious, but essential, goals we have set. It is imperative we take action to enhance energy efficiency across all sectors as it will help reduce fuel poverty, boost businesses, improve residents’ health and make Birmingham a better city in which to live, work and play.’

The main target, transport

The council’s first move will me to target the huge 1.57 tonnes of carbon emission (according to the latest study carried out in 2005), created in Birmingham through transport.

Money-saving tips that will be promoted to Birmingham motorists in the coming months and years as the programme is developed include:

Before driving: planning the shortest route in terms of distance, time and fuel use, ensuring tyre pressures are correct, clearing out any extra/unnecessary weight in vehicles, and having them serviced regularly
While driving: speed up and slow down smoothly, change gears at lower revs, switching off engines if you’re likely to be stationary for more than three minutes, and not using air conditioning unless essential

A report produced by environmental think-tank Forum for the Future in 2008 suggested that by adopting these good habits, a typical motorist who drives 10,000 miles a year could save 10 per cent of their fuel (£10 a month), a figure based on fuel costing £1 a litre – which means based on current prices they would save even more.

The driving tips – inspired changes made to the driving test in 2008, the national Act on CO2 campaign and the city council’sTravelWise initiative – are seen as part of the solution to cut this figure to 0.66 tonnes by 2026, equivalent to a reduction of 48 per cent when compared to 1990 levels.

Birmingham Friends Of the Earth shares their thoughts

Environmental outreach officer for BFOE, Karl Whale offers a more reserved view on the planned targets:

‘Personally I think they are ambitious but not impossible targets, the motivation’s money, but money is the root of all evil so maybe they’ll lose site of the objectives that they’ve set. However if people were less bothered by the appearances of some renewable energy sources it’s possible … But then that’s an excuse because if people understood the issues of global warming they’d cut their noses off to spite they’re face.’

The plans may not be received with open arms from Birmingham’s ‘motor industry’, as Cllr Tilsley hints that they may have to take a knock back.

‘Birmingham, thanks to its rich industrial heritage, has a reputation for being a motor city. That is why – despite the exciting plans we have for the city to be at the forefront of the green vehicle revolution – we need to look at things that will enable us to reduce emissions from existing forms of transport.’

‘The simple tips we want to promote will make a big difference as we begin the transition from fossil fuel to low-carbon technologies. I would urge all motorists in the city, from commuters to taxi and bus operators to those running haulage firms to take these points on board when on the road.’

Having received mixed responses from council and ‘green’ officials alike, we at Birmingham Recycled have devised a list of ways you can contribute to the action plan:

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