CPRE Leicestershire

As if the Fourth Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, published in November 2007, wasn't alarming enough IPCC scientists have since discovered that they had underestimated both the scale and speed of certain changes. Certainly, there are positive feedbacks to reinforce the changes already taking place due to rising carbon dioxide levels, such as the oxidation of peaty soils as tundra thaws out and the release of methane from hydrate-clathrates in warming ocean waters. Methane has a Global Warming Potential (GWP) 24.5 times that of carbon dioxide. Other gases are far more harmful, such as nitrous oxide (N2O) which has a GWP of 320 times and CFC-11 which is 4,000 more powerful than CO2.

In a nutshell, those of us living in the so-called developed countries need to reduce our demands for energy and manufactured products. We travel too much and consume too much, most of which is sustained through the provision of fossil fuels. However, it isn't just the burning of oil and coal which liberates fossil carbon into the planet's atmosphere as CO2. The manufacture of cement also liberates vast amounts of CO2 derived from carbonate rocks. We are also reducing the biosphere's capacity to lock away carbon in repositories such as forests and oceans. All in all a pretty dismal picture of supposedly intelligent beings fouling their nest.

...and what about this word 'sustainability'? In the sense under discussion here it simply means not using resources the Earth cannot replace in a timescale less than that of a human lifespan. The exploitation of oil and coal definitely do not fit this definition. How many of us are prepared to make the effort to consume less by curbing our desires to travel and shop unnecessarily?  Make-do-and-mend or do-without is anathema to most folks these days. How many of us will make a conscious decision to cut back to save humanity and the planet? Unfortunately, many of the changes for the better that have taken place recently, such as people switching to public transport rather than use their own private transport, have mostly taken place for the wrong reasons. That is, only when things hurt wallets and purses do we stop and change our ways without thinking too much about the real reasons. You may have noticed recently that a lot of traffic on motorways, particularly light vehicles, are travelling appreciably slower to lower fuel consumption. This has little to do with sustainability and everything to do with diminishing amounts of disposable income!

More extremes of weather will be the norm!

So, without lecturing or hectoring, what situation is likely to endure in the near future for England? Many of the changes are already being felt in that we have a northward migration of plant and animal species. We are already seeing a change in weather patterns, with more pronounced extremes of wind, rain and high temperatures, with a general trend towards wetter and warmer. Can we adapt to these changes plus the rigours of energy shortages? Local authorities are addressing climate change and the main method of 'resilience' in the face of these changes is reducing carbon dioxide emissions from homes, industry and transport. This applies to the construction industry too and you will have no doubt read about 'zero-carbon' homes. This is a fallacy in that the materials used will have a certain amount of carbon embodied in them as a result of processing. For example, the following products have these quantities, expressed as kilograms of CO2 per kilogram of material: common bricks = 0.22; facing bricks = 0.52; cement = 0.83; glass = 0.85, steel = 2.75 and plastics an average of 2.53. These figures are 'cradle to grave' values. That is, extraction, transport, use and final decommissioning is taken into account.  Thus, when we are told that nuclear power stations are zero carbon we are being seriously misled.

A very mild flooding event by many standards - much worse to come though!

If we can reduce consumption and recycle or re-use as much as possible we can go a long way toward lowering the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and thereby reduce catastrophic climate change. There has been much discussion about the 'tipping point' for irreversible greenhouse heating of the atmosphere.  When CO2 levels were first determined in the early 1960s the level was approximately 315 parts per million and in 2008 it has risen to 385 ppm. There seems to be no scientific consensus about where the tipping point and runaway global heating will occur. The only consensus seems to be that a relatively safe level is 300 to 350 ppm CO2, which is about 100 ppm higher than atmospheric levels were at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.

So where does all this leave CPRE and planning? Already we have seen a move in strategic planning toward 'Sustainable Urban Extensions' as an alternative to carving-up or absorbing housing need among scattered rural settlements. This places the majority of people nearer to where they work, shop or use other services such as health and education. It means that people can rely more on sustainable urban mass transport systems and less on their mobile, air-conditioned three-piece suites for the daily commute or school run. To reduce the amount of fossil carbon being unlocked from coal and oil we can rely more on 'neutral' carbon sources. That is, fuels derived from living materials which of course are easily and speedily replaced and are therefore 'sustainable'. The problem is once you begin diverting agricultural land (or rainforest and mangrove swamps) to non-food (i.e. biofuel) agricultural production you spawn more problems in that food production declines, usually in areas of greatest need. This has already manifested itself in food riots where staple carbohydrates have been diverted to bio-ethanol production, thus driving up food prices, e.g. Mexico.

Where do we accommodate new homes and employment land and at the same time address our country's food security issues?

Each of us is 'guilty' of releasing ten to fifteen tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, on average. Some of us are positively 'carbon obese'... If this is mainly fossil carbon being added to the atmosphere's burden and therefore capable of accelerating climate change how can we reduce the amount? Do we really need to fly to the Mediterranean and elsewhere for holidays? Are holiday destinations accessible by surface transport? Do we really need a large car or more than one car? Do we really need a car at all? Do we need all that stuff cluttering our homes? Do we need to keep buying more clothes and shoes than we actually need?  Do we need to turn on the central heating at the slightest hint of the approach of Autumn and delay turning it off on warm days in Winter or when Spring approaches? What happened to vests and pullovers? Notice that word 'need'? If we can tease apart our wants from our needs we can get a long way toward that sustainable lifestyle. This is the basis behind the 'Transition Town' movement and I'll leave it to you to Google what this means. Many people born before 1960 will know all about 'making do' and this new-fangled recycling lark!

Is that journey by air really necessary?

What else is on the planning front regarding sustainability? Wind turbines loom large... These have their place and few would argue that high-value landscapes and surroundings should have their appearance spoiled by their presence. It is thought that off-shore wind farms could meet a significant proportion of the UK's energy demand, though on-shore wind farms have their place too. Some people gripe about the appearance of wind-turbines though you never hear them complaining about the appearance of power stations, transmission towers (pylons) and cables strung for hundreds of miles across our landscape. What alternatives to wind-powered generation do critics of wind-farms suggest? Coal-fired power and nuclear power stations? No, the wind doesn't blow all of the time but wind farms can make a significant contribution to reducing our demand for fossil fuels and thereby reduce harmful emissions. Thus, CPRE adopts the sensible view and indeed it is our policy that each onshore wind turbine or wind-farm planning application is considered on its merits.

At the same time we might ask what has happened to Government investment in water power. Water is approximately 800 times denser than air (wind) and thus can be viewed as an energy-dense resource. Tidal and wave-powered generation is developing at a snail's pace but what about the countless streams and rivers inland with the potential to generate electricity? There were thousands of bobbin mills on either side of the Pennines feeding the Lancashire and Yorkshire textile industries. These streams could be used once again to drive small-scale water turbines. Google 'sustainable'+'youlgrave' and you'll see what is meant!

Are these any more a blight on the landscape than power stations and pylons?

As we run out of holes in the ground in which to dump our rubbish attention is turning to incineration and we are seeing a number of planning applications for incinerators. This might seem a suitable solution at first sight though this too spawns more problems. The ash tends to concentrate toxic heavy metal elements and the plume of gases vented to the atmosphere cannot be guaranteed free of pollutants for 100% of the time. This applies to airborne micro-particulates and their toxic burden. More significantly, it is highly likely that incinerators will drive down the will to recycle and re-use.

What can we do at home to reduce emissions and costs? Certainly we can add as much thermal insulation and draught-proofing as possible. This is far more effective than throwing money at off-grid systems such as domestic photovoltaic and ground-source heating, or even domestic small-scale wind turbines. If you want to go partially off-grid a roof mounted solar thermal water heating system gives the best return on any investment. What about remembering to switch off lights when they are not needed, or any other electrical equipment - even if left on stand-by? There's a lot to be said for thick curtains and closing doors for retaining heat too. Let's face it - your Granny could have told you much of this!

Finally here are a couple of short movies you really ought to watch...