Nottingham's own Copenhagen Summit
USING the River Trent to create renewable energy for Nottingham was one of the ideas to come out of a climate change conference in the city.
The Nottingham Copenhagen Summit was held yesterday to form opinions on local action and mirror the international climate talks in the Danish capital.
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WORLDWIDE CONCERN: Environmental protesters outside the UN Climate summit in Copenhagen.
Leading academics, and public, private and voluntary sector business leaders put forward their environmental priorities at the meeting at BioCity.
Some of the other priorities suggested included creating business and community co-operatives who share the cost of large scale renewable energy developments and then share the profits when the energy is sold to the national grid.
Anaerobic digesters, which transform biodegradable waste such as food and vegetation into bio-methane for energy, were also put forward as a key way for the city to meet the climate challenge.
Some of the ideas will be taken forward by the city council as part of its future planning to reduce carbon emissions.
Nottingham South MP Alan Simpson, a champion of green issues, said the city had to think about turning problems into solutions.
"The really good news about this is there are lots of places where we can draw on practical, working examples – but it does require a complete change in the way we set about things," he said.
Mr Simpson said that in Munich there were 25 weirs along the river through the city and these created hydro-electricity.
And he told how Hamburg decided against building two power stations to meet its energy needs, instead putting combined heat and power boilers into 100,000 homes, schools, offices and factories.
This was at a much lower cost and also provided a secure energy source which could be tapped into to provide the wider energy needs of the city.
He urged people to act now or risk being left behind when energy prices rocket in the next few years.
"There are cities around the country that have seen which way the wind is blowing and have a queue of proposals already sitting on the desk," he said.
"We need to grab ourselves by the scruff of the neck because there are going to be opportunities that come out of the crisis that we face."
Andy Vaughan, director of environmental service for the city council, said Nottingham was currently a leader in climate change.
"We are famed for something called the Nottingham Declaration. That really started the climate change movement in local government some time ago.
"We have the tram. We are the Transport Authority of the Year. We have the largest district heating system in the UK.
"But the challenge ahead of us is far larger than our successes to date.
"Whilst the council has a role, its total contribution to the city's carbon emissions is relatively small.
"Our influence is best in a leadership and facilitation role and that why the main purpose of today is to listen and to work collaboratively."
jon.robinson@nottinghameveningpost.co.uk
86 Comments
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by Andyman, Derbys
Sunday, December 13 2009, 7:22PM
“We can conclude from your usual drivel that you have not bothered to check any of the facts, just launched into personal attacks, it is about the norm i suppose.
Perhaps you can explain to us all why 42 of the countries leading environmental scientists entered into legal proceedings against the IPCC to remove manipulated submissions which gave a totally different conclusion, to their original scientifically proven conclusions.
Perhaps you would like to explain to us all why 20,000 + of the worlds leading environmental scientists have joined another group opposing the lies and misinformation portrayed by our, and many industrial nations Governments.
Perhaps you would care to explain to us why Government based their policies upon the scientific findings of 38 of these scientists findings over two decades or more.
Perhaps you would care to explain the findings of the recently leaked E-mails confirming what these scientists have already publicly stated.
Or is it you who lives in a fantasy world, of course it is; perhaps you need to learn that before you can resolve a problem you first need to identify exactly what it is.”
by FW, Nottingham
Saturday, December 12 2009, 8:36PM
“
What we know for certain is that many of the countries leading scientists have been villified by the current Government for daring to provide evidence which contradicts the Governments message.
Amazing how "we" can "know something for certain" when it isn't true.
The Royal Society, the professional body representing the top scientists in this country has stated its considered conclusion that climate change is very probably being driven by human activity.
And before you make the usual erroneous argument about them doing so because they are only interested in getting more funding, take a look at some of their other recent pronouncements. Lord Rees, their president, was, for example, deeply critical of current Government policy on science funding. Clearly, not an organization that toadies to the administration in order to feather its nest.
Just because you desparately want something to be true to fit with your World view of an overbearing state conspiring against you does not make it so. Which is just as well, as I have no desire to end up living in your personal simplistic fantasy world. The real one is so much more interesting.”
by Andyman, Derbys
Saturday, December 12 2009, 6:28PM
“Yes, the climate is changing and most people accept this as the natural cycle of the earth, but it is the human influence which is refuted.
What we know for certain is that many of the countries leading scientists have been villified by the current Government for daring to provide evidence which contradicts the Governments message. How can this be, particularly when so much Government strategy was based upon their research, and they were held in such high esteem. Why do Government, through the IPCC, continue to drip feed misinformation and lies to an all too guillable public, then manipulate many of the scientific data on the site, often to a different conclusion.
Much of this can be checked, many of the contributors work for other organisations which publish the full submissions on their own websites, so a direct comparison can be made by anyone bothering to do so.
Why have those credible organisations submitting data contradicting the Government message suddenly had their funding cut, or scrapped all together, and those organisations promoting the message are suddenly in receipt of this funding.
With such overwhelming evidence, it is pretty conclusive what is happening, and the facts? buried under political interests.”
by otis, in the suburbs
Friday, December 11 2009, 8:38PM
“Mel in the City a SUB AR U joking you don't see a lot as i discovered in Norway on a £5000 day out with the boys on board a Russian sub wearing my £300 GREY selag tracky whilst touring Europe in our £60000 fully paid for motorhome enjoying 18 countries with our STAFFY now back in our morgage free detached home enjoying being retired at 52 having worked for 38 years and not taking a shilling from the public purse what will you be doing when you are 52 still being a sad person calling people names have a nice life not. You really do need to get off the net and out in the real world”
by Arthur Kade, Philly
Friday, December 11 2009, 5:58PM
“I'm not concerned one bit about so called climate change / global warming. The Earth has sorted itself out for billions of years and will continue to do so.
Don't get me wrong I don't like to see waste and will turn lights off when they are not needed etc but I enjoy my plasma TV and hoildays abroad and will continue to do so, after all whats a polar bear ever done for me?
Infact Polar bears are one of the few animals that will actually hunt man so the sooner we are shut of them the better!”