Despite the PM’s supposed enthusiasm for the beautiful game, he seems to have scored an own goal in deciding to approve 100 new North Sea oil and gas licences, claiming that this action is still “entirely consistent with our plan to get to net zero” and inspiring a deluge of both national and international criticism, not least from experts in his own party. MCA was encouraged to hear the response of Chris Skidmore, author of the Net Zero Review, who asserted that the move would put the UK “on the wrong side of history” and push voters at the next election to favour “parties that protect, and not threaten, our environment”. Polling data certainly seem to support this assertion.
Closer to home, the new administration at Moorlands House seems keen to be on the right side of history, particularly in the context of climate action. They are currently updating the Climate Change plan and will publish in September a short list of immediate actions, alongside the separate Plan for Nature.
It looks like SMDC will strengthen the push to reduce the council’s own energy consumption, e.g. Biddulph leisure centre solar panels and heat pump, plus solar panels for Brough Park leisure centre in Leek, but we hope they don’t lose focus on the wider energy usage of the district. Net Zero is ultimately all about energy and NOT using fossil fuels to generate it.
In that respect it’s good for the council to act as a flagship but more needs to be done to tackle fuel poverty and climate emissions in existing homes. To its credit, SMDC, working with the Staffordshire Warmer Homes partnership and also under pressure from MCA and the former opposition, has produced a baseline that provides detail and targeted actions on the district as a whole. Another aim is to improve the existing liaison with Your Housing, who we understand have already begun to take energy efficiency much more seriously but are battling with the inadequacies of government funding and legislation, as well as the complicated nature of their housing stock. We're glad they've made a start and look forward to seeing the promised deeper cooperation with SMDC.
Read more: Spotlight Summer 2023 - Fiddling the Figures while the...
On not quite Midsummer’s Day, but Wednesday 12 July, we were delighted to host Mark Cocker, discussing his new book One Midsummer’s Day: Swifts and the Story of Life on Earth with our own Mark Johnson. It was a hotly anticipated free event with more than 100 people enjoying a lively, entertaining, and wide-ranging discussion about swifts, the interconnectedness of all life on earth, our place in it, sheep farming, William Wordsworth vs John Clare - and oatcakes (Derbys/Staffs/Cheshire) with crunchy peanut butter, blackcurrant compôte and crème fraîche!
Thanks to the wonders of modern technology (using mobile phones and tripods), we were able to record the evening, so those who weren’t able to come can see what they missed and those who were can relive the experience! .
Mark was very appreciative of the recording, which he said “revealed to me how warm the atmosphere was again. Lots and lots of good will. Go MCA!”
Staffordshire Moorlands District Council has just created the Staffordshire Moorlands Community Lottery. Set up to support community projects in the local area, it operates on the principle of raising money within the community for the community, empowering local good causes to raise money in a fun and effective way.
In a time of shrinking budgets and increased community need, Staffordshire Moorlands Community Lottery enables people to support the causes they care most about, helping good causes to connect with their supporters. A ticket for Staffordshire Moorlands Community Lottery costs £1 a week and 60p will go directly to good causes. And MCA is one of them! Do support us if you can. You can find out more here:
https://www.staffsmoorlandscommunitylottery.co.uk/support/moorlands-climate-action
The sun was shining and bees were buzzing for our third HuG Moorlands Green Arts Festival on Saturday 24 June at the Foxlowe Arts Centre. Visitors young and older swarmed from as far afield as Chesterfield, Cambridge and Kent to join the many Moorlanders enjoying a full day of music, poetry, arts and crafts.
MCA’s Events Coordinator Lindsay Trevarthen said, “We were delighted with the turn out for our annual fundraiser for the Foxlowe’s ongoing energy efficiency programme. The sun shone upon us, and everyone commented on the wonderful atmosphere. Many thanks to all who took part — stallholders, councillors, artists, musicians and volunteers and a special shout out for town crier Bill Lomas, who opened this wonderful day. Young people were such a central part of the event, and the Young Phoenix Singers stole the show. The central theme of this year was the importance of bees and other pollinators for our environment. The amazing Pif-Paf Bee Cart – brought to Leek by the OUTSIDE arts project — provided a buzz throughout the day. Here’s to 2024!”
Save the date for next year – Saturday 22 June – when the theme will be trees!
Staffordshire County Council have informed us of two new dates for Carbon Literacy Training.
Carbon Literacy Training provides individuals with awareness about the climate related impacts that their activities have. It also provides the knowledge and motivation to make reductions to greenhouse gas emissions. For example, the construction company Jacobs UK has indicated that typical realised carbon savings from Carbon Literacy Training are at least 5-15% per person.
The training will be carried out by fully accredited trainers. Individuals who successfully complete the training course will receive a certificate and the status of being Carbon Literate.
A new project, the ‘Peak Cluster’, has been launched in the Peak District that aims to create a net zero future for the cement and lime industry. The plan is to prevent over 3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year by 2030, using a carbon capture and storage scheme (CCS).
The project embraces five cement and lime plants in the Peak District and Staffordshire Moorlands and, as we in the Moorlands are well aware, carbon dioxide emitted from the cement and concrete industry accounts for around a quarter of the total emissions in Derbyshire and Staffordshire and 40% of all UK cement and lime is manufactured in the Peak District and around. As cement is the main ingredient in concrete and at present essential for the UK economy and the built infrastructure, there appears to be a case for using CCS to reduce the sector’s emissions and thereby ensure the sustainable future of the industry.
Many MCA members will not yet have formed a view on CCS; those that have probably share some of the concerns of many in the environmental movement: that the technology is relatively unproven at scale and at budget; that it might be used as a reason to go slow on finding alternatives to traditional cement and concrete; and that in some instances it is being used as a cover to prolong the use of fossil fuels. It also necessitates considerable infrastructure in the form of new plant and pipelines. But the chemical processes involved in traditional cement are impossible to remove in other ways and alternative materials lie a very long way off.
So, we appreciate that for the foreseeable future there is a continuing dependence on the cement and concrete industry and this scheme appears not to be designed to prop up the fossil fuel industry. We are further encouraged that the approach is endorsed by the Climate Change Committee, the independent statutory body that advises the government on emissions targets.
Nevertheless, the Peak Cluster pipeline will go under valuable countryside (likely including some of the Peak Park) and a decision on this will be taken by the Secretary of State (though the much smaller above ground infrastructure will have to go to SMDC Planning).
Peak Cluster have been very open in their desire to engage with the public and have offered to meet MCA members separately. We are currently arranging a date for this and for now are keeping an open mind on the project.
Photo credit: https://www.lhoist.com/sites/lhoist/files/peak_cluster_launch_map.png; https://www.lhoist.com/news/world-first-project-create-net-zero-cement-and-lime-cluster-peak-district
- Spotlight Spring 2023 - A Clear Warning that We Need to Act Now
- Rare Woodlouse Makes a Comeback in the Moorlands
- A Big Green HuG
- Spotlight Midwinter 2023 - Changing Gear at SMDC
- Spotlight Autumn 2022 - Winter Palace or Winter Practicalities
- Wild Week 2022
- Leek Show 2022
- Hands Up for the Earth at HuG 2
- HuG 2 - Green Arts Festival 2022
- Spotlight Aug 2022 - Talking with SMDC
- HUG 2022 Moorlands Green Arts Festival
- Together We Can: Summit 11th-21st May