Category: COP26

Time to step off the gas

A crowdfunding appeal has just been launched to raise start-up funds for a Climate Hub in Eastbourne.

A crowdfunding appeal has just been launched to raise start-up funds for a Climate Hub in Eastbourne. The crowdfunder can be found here.

You might have two questions at this point:

  1. What is a Climate Hub?
  2. Why bother creating one when there’s so much else to deal with, like the cost of living crisis and the invasion of Ukraine?

Actually, the answer to the second question helps to answer the first one. Let me explain:

Burning gas fuels wars as well as warming

One of the fundamental reasons why we have both a cost of living crisis and a war in Ukraine is because of fossil fuels and our current excessive use of them throughout the world, including Eastbourne. Yes, the very same fossil fuels that are the predominant causes of global warming are also the predominant source of revenue for the Russian government’s ability to wage war in Ukraine on the scale it is able to, as well as ensuring that the gas supply to heat European homes is becoming eye-wateringly expensive.

About 40% of the carbon emissions generated in Eastbourne comes from the gas consumed to heat homes and businesses throughout the town. That is a huge dependence upon a fossil fuel that also helps to make climate change so much worse, making the town more vulnerable to flooding from the rising seas and stronger storm surges. Worse still, the steeply rising price of gas creates vast revenues for autocratic governments, revenues which can go into funding huge war machines.

The fierce urgency of now

On top of all this, in the last week the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has released its latest assessment report on climate change, with one of its authors giving us this chilling warning:

“The scientific evidence is unequivocal: climate change is a threat to human wellbeing and the health of the planet,” said Hans-Otto Pörtner, a co-chair of working group 2 of the IPCC. “Any further delay in concerted global action will miss a brief and rapidly closing window to secure a liveable future.”

Getting off the gas, one hub at a time

So, to deal with the cost of living crisis effectively, we need to shield ourselves from the rising price of gas. And to deal with the aggression of certain states we need to reduce our dependence on the gas they sell to fund their wars. What better solution than to reduce our consumption of gas or, better still, stop consuming it completely?

Can we do so? Yes. There are alternatives to gas for heating our homes and businesses. Which brings us to the point about creating a Climate Hub, for such a place will enable Eastbourne residents to learn about those alternatives, find out how to access funding for those alternatives, gain support to make any lifestyle and behaviour changes that may help reduce energy costs generally, collaborate on creating local climate actions that make a real difference to making the town far more sustainable and resilient in the face of climate change impacts, and much, much more.

There are many Climate Hubs throughout the UK now, – including ones in Lewes, Seaford, and Guildford – all run by dedicated volunteers and all providing, amongst many other services, crucial energy advice and support to help local people deal with rising fuel bills. If you’d like to help Eastbourne get one, then please donate to the Eastbourne Climate Hub crowdfunder. Thank you.

COP26: Eastbourne can lead the way for climate action

Eastbourne is a coastal community on the front line of COP26’s big issue – climate change. Our town is facing rising seas and stronger storm surges of a rapidly warming world.

Eastbourne is a coastal community on the front line of COP26’s big issue – climate change. Our town is facing rising seas and stronger storm surges of a rapidly warming world. If carbon emissions keep rising, we will confront an existential threat of flooding from the sea. Eastbourne’s survival as a viable local economy after COP26 depend upon transitioning as fast as possible to a zero carbon society that can adapt to the inevitable and ever more severe impacts of climate change. The moment could not be more urgent. We must transform Eastbourne into a innovative town that will create a new example.

Andrew Durling, Executive Director, and David Everson, Transport Director, make their stand at the COP26 Rally at the Eastbourne seafront on 6 November
(L-R) David Everson, Chair of Transport Group; Andrew Durling, Executive Director; and Paul Humphries make their stand at the COP26 Rally at the Eastbourne seafront on 6 November

After COP26: What must change if Eastbourne is to adapt to climate change

But what exactly does COP26 style climate leadership mean in Eastbourne?Carbon emissions from aviation and road transport are too high and rising too fast. Effective climate leadership is about stopping plans to expand Gatwick airport. It means averting the building of a big new A27 motorway between Lewes & Polegate. Local politicians must lobby for a much improved local bus service that has much cheaper fares. Communities must demand more regular bus services and using dedicated bus lanes throughout town. Our towns must give greater priority to better facilities and access for pedestrians and cyclists.

But most of all, it means ending our obsession with economic growth and refocussing on increasing the quality of life for both people and the planet. As COP26 roundly failed to clarify, growth at any cost is not sustainable and only makes our quality of life worse. Growth at any cost is literally costing the Earth. It’s even costing our health, as our town is literally choking on the poisonous fumes of air pollution, most of it coming from diesel traffic. In Eastbourne, local particulate air pollution is now more than twice the annual maximum limit deemed acceptable by the World Health Organisation.

The Eastbourne COP26 Coalition lead a climate protest march on the Eastbourne promenade.
The Eastbourne COP26 Coalition lead a climate protest march on the Eastbourne promenade.

How Eastbourne’s local communities are taking action against climate change

Many local community groups are outdoing COP26 itself, showing great climate leadership. Volunteers are starting tree planting schemes, setting up community food growing schemes and campaigning to end single-use plastics. Others are developing local community energy projects such as solar farms in Lewes District and in the Cuckmere valley. Projects like these not only make a difference but also help to create a more resilient and sustainable local economy that can help the area not only survive, but thrive, in the face of climate change. They also demonstrate to our political leaders what is possible now and in the future.

Furthermore, all local government policies and projects should contribute meaningfully to delivering a carbon neutral town by 2030. And by all, I mean all. After COP26, every single policy and project must have climate and nature care at its core. So, for example, ‘Levelling Up’ must include levelling up those people in the eastern part of the town most vulnerable to flooding from the sea and most unable to afford the resilience measures needed to adapt to climate change.

Levelling up means nothing without meaningful climate justice for the local people most vulnerable to climate change. And levelling up means nothing if it does not contribute significantly to reducing the town’s carbon emissions, which are not falling fast enough anyway. Eastbourne’s emissions only fell 6.8% in 2019. Emissions have to fall by 12% every year between now and 2030 to meet the town’s fair share of the UK’s commitments under the 2015 UN Climate Accord reached in Paris.

A selection of placards made by the Eastbourne ECO Action Network for the COP26 march.
A selection of placards made by the Eastbourne ECO Action Network for the COP26 march.

Eastbourne Borough Council must do better – but there are still reasons to feel hopeful after COP26

Eastbourne Borough Council’s own emissions are not falling fast enough, regardless of how the council’s spin doctors massage the figures. The Eastbourne ECO Action Network appreciate that the council has big challenges to meet in reducing its own emissions. Indeed, we are working with them to help them meet those challenges. However, as COP26 showed, we need an open and honest debate about those challenges – and not greenwashing.

However, our town has some reasons to feel hopeful. Eastbourne Friends of the Earth is forming a partnership with Cuckmere Valley Transition to set up an annual Green Awards and Fund. This new project will not only recognise outstanding local climate projects, but also distribute grants to scale up their work. We hope to launch the Awards and its associated Fund sometime next year.

The great irony is that all the actions necessary to safeguard our climate future are also actions that create a cleaner, safer and healthier environment for us all. The many co-benefits of climate action are huge. What’s not to like?

Andrew Durling

Executive Director, Eastbourne ECO Action Network CIC