DRAFT of speech, a version of which was given in debate at the East Midlands Regional Assembly. Most disappointing was a Tory MEP's report to the meeting that the science on climate change was not yet convincing (it had been warmer only 800 years ago) - but he did not attend the meeting to hear the debate. The Assembly expressed its support for the Nottingham Declaration.
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Chair,
It’s good that we can come together on the Nottingham Declaration today.
It’s not that I believe in a unanimous approach per se.
Such unanimity is urged upon us by activists who don’t understand the challenges in agreeing just one approach; nor the delays it imposes whilst we reach one view. I think it is right that political parties hold different views on the best way to tackle this issue because that is the way our free society works. And politics - with the power of the mandate - is the fastest way to make progress - much faster than giving the problems to quangocrats.
At the Regional Assembly, we have to seek a general consensus because there can hardly be anything but some kind of deal (between the parties). But I’m always struck at how a concern for the environment, an extension of that sense that we in the Midlands think we have a better balance to our lives than the South-East or the North, has offered opportunities for us as a body to make more progress.
And where I think there ought to be a consensus today is on the science and on the Declaration.
On the science, and the Al Gore movie explains most of this very well -
- a new and damaging form of climate change is happening; and that actually we are living in the times of the highest average earth surface temperature for 120 thousand years that we are able to measure though checking isotopes of oxygen in samples of ice from the Artic; that’s 120,000 years, not 800;
- that the correlation between average surface temperature and concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere is strong, and whilst there are other types of greenhouses gases that we have to watch out for too, like methane, emissions of CO2 are what we must work on most;
- that scientists who publish work on the climate are unanimous in that view and that the source of doubt on average temperatures and on CO2 concentrations is not from scientists, but certain types of politicians and opinion formers, who often have a strong interest in the status quo; but who haven’t quite grasped that their perception of the status quo is about to disappear from beneath them, faster than they think;
On this new form of climate change -
- the Minister said yesterday that the costs of adapting to climate change if we don’t act, will be more expensive that the 2 world wars and the great depression combined;
- that the concerns often expressed for the future of towns like Boston, regarding their public transport, or their port, are all pretty irrelevant, if in not acting, we see sea levels rise by 20 feet and have to give the town up to the North Sea;
On the Declaration and the way forward -
- the Stern Report shows it’s cheaper to act now than to act later; and that if we’re really smart, we can create new business, jobs, products and services by planning for the new enviro-technologies that will be needed;
- that local government can together show we care, that we are prepared to act and indeed are taking action; we can embrace the Declaration today, as an expression of our ambition and a determination to ensure mitigating and adapting to climate change can be woven into our councils’ policy frameworks and performance management systems.
The Declaration has been embraced by over 200 councils across the country. More than double what we had last December. That means a lot of practical application is going on in local government and I hope today that those councils who are here but have not signed the Declaration will realise that what it is, is a declaration of ambition, a tool for making progress and not a dictation of policy - you can sign the Declaration and make progress in the way that suits your local needs.
I’d hope you’d take some pride in knowing that the Declaration comes from the East Midlands.
Supporting it is pretty much all we have to do today.
Unless the movers of the further motion are prepared to say explicitly what it is we should stop doing, I’m not sure what value their motion adds.
Chair,
I could spend some time telling you of all the marvellous things Nottingham is doing today,
and the news on financial support to expand the Tram is great.
The progress we’ve made since the last Assembly as 3 cities, and as 3 cities & 3 counties, on transport planning and on the growth points, is also good news.
But the most important outcome of today’s debate would be for more councils from the East Midlands to sign up.
And I hope delegates from those councils that haven’t can feel more confident about taking a message back from today’s debate.
Thank you Chair.
[Last updated 2006-12-30; speech given on 2006-12-01]
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