This letter from my Green New Deal colleague Coilin Hines was in the Observer today:
Will Hutton is correct that public resistance to austerity and increasing support for tax and spend should provide a huge opportunity for Labour, but that its present stance on Brexit could keep it from power (“In Britain's chaotic rail system — as elsewhere — we need a creative state to play its part”, Comment).
The reshaping of our economy that he advocates will also crucially need, particularly for those who voted Leave, to give people hope for the future by providing increased economic security in every community throughout Britain.
To achieve this, Labour will need to prioritise a massive nationwide green infrastructure programme that will help tackle climate change, is labour-intensive, consists of work that is difficult to automate and so could provide a secure career structure for decades. This would include making the UK's 30m buildings and future new builds energy efficient and fitted with renewables, plus a concentration on rebuilding local public transport links.
Most importantly, as the Green New Deal group's report of the same name shows, it will need to generate “jobs in every constituency”, including “left-behind” areas that played such a pivotal role in the Brexit result. It could also help ensure there is no repeat of 2008.
Colin Hines, convenor
UK Green New Deal Group
East Twickenham, Middlesex
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Labour has moved the environment up the political agenda but it needs to be number one. The BBC has also promised to give it more attention and to stop giving air-time to climate deniers. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/aboutthebbc/entries/653495fc-7cbb-474c-b51f-bb0ba19b3905. But Peter Stott (who heads the Climate Monitoring and Attribution team of the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research at the Met Office) urges us to look at an interactive temperature map: How every part of the world has warmed — and could continue to warm https://www.carbonbrief.org/mapped-how-every-part-of-the-world-has-warmed-and-could-continue-to-warm. Stott Tweeted “HAVE A LOOK AT WARMING IN THE HIGH ARCTIC AND TREMBLE”. Labour’s draught-proofing and insulation plans are urgent but will take many years to have a serious impact.
Professor Kevin Anderson points out that while generating one unit of renewable electricity can replace one unit from elsewhere, most power station electricity consumes 13 units of fossil-fuel-derived energy (Mining or drilling, transport, burning [cooling towers] transmission and efficiency of the end-use device). Meanwhile, our government tries to hide its subsidies for coal, oil and gas which are many times greater that its support for wind and solar power. https://www.desmog.co.uk/2018/06/04/uk-worst-g7-countries-hiding-fossil-fuel-subsidies-report.
Widespread organised society cannot survive the drive for an ever increasing number of families to own three cars, a large centrally heated house, fly to holidays abroad and eat meat and dairy products without limit. Economic growth must be restrained.
Joe
I am trying to do my bit
I co-signed the letter that brought about that BBC change
And I agree on the need
Richard
A key element in this will be training. Currently the kindest word for the situation is shambolic – due to 8 years of Tories and 13 years of a new labour bunch that were not very interested in the reality that university is not appropriate for all people. The fact is that “good builders” that turn up on time and do good work (or plumbers, or electricians or… this list is long) is something of an oxymoron. Renovating the fabrice of a building requires skills. They need to be learnt & there are insufficient in the country able to do this to the scale needed (1000,000 himes per year needing north of 100,000 people).
This situation is the direct responsibility of the politicos – they thought that one could substitute skilled labourt from other countries for having an education system (meant in its broadest terms) that is fit for (national) purpose. Apologies if this seems a bit gumpy – what is needed very urgently is a vastly expanded, government funded national training scheme – for a wide range of skills – including those focused on energy renovating buildings.
Will Hutton is right.
And there are several gears to be added to this Green Engine we need to build. Climate change won’t wait, but policies, especially those needing training and education, cannot become effective instantly.
However, some measures can be fairly fast-acting, others will need years.
They need to be identified by experts, yes, independent experts, and a progressive programme put in place. Economically and environmentally sound.
Denmark and Norway can give some insight into what can be achieved, and yes, I’m aware of Norway’s oil production and money, but they also know it won’t last. I’m also aware of corporations’ power to influence decisions, in those countries as elsewhere, that’s more difficult to counter.
Spain and Portugal especially have made huge investments in green energies, despite their economic difficulties. Portugal, much poorer than the UK, is putting in place its own Green Deal.
Spain is an interesting contradiction, divided between consumer demand led food production which stresses their water supplies and damages their environment, and the push towards greater, greener and more independent energy supply.
We cannot continue this mad never-ending consumption led development.
Development should be qualitative, not quantitative, if we are to protect and share this planet. It’s common sense. Consumers can also be trained and educated.
The plan to get the country working on a Green New Deal has to be linked to the plan to get the UK to help shape the global push towards halting climate change.
Whatever Labour, or whoever else governs, do about our little contribution to this rescue plan, we cannot sit on the sidelines of Europe for that.
We need a loud enough voice, not that little squeak we’ll emit if we Brexit.
All linked.