Category: Climate Change
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Fledgling farmers: strengthening local food supplies – guest blog
The past year has highlighted the fragility of our food systems and the need to build greater resilience into supply chains. Katie Hastings of the Pathways to Farming project gives us a flavour of how local growers in and around CAT’s home town of Machynlleth have responded to the challenge.
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Greater horseshoe bat – hanging around at CAT
The recent discovery of a greater horseshoe bat at the Centre for Alternative Technology is further evidence of the northward expansion of the species’ range. Dulcie Fairweather explores the implications.
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Coping with the climate crisis – Guest blog
As the climate crisis deepens, more and more people report feelings of fear, anxiety and depression. Psychotherapist Ro Randall offers some ideas on how to cope.
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CAT to host Autumnwatch 2020
We are excited to announce that CAT has been chosen as one of the hosts of this year’s BBC Autumnwatch. Iolo Williams will join us for two weeks to bring the best of Mid Wales wildlife to living rooms right across the UK.
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CAT Stories: Zero carbon councils – Interview with Town Councillor David Royle
David Royle has been a Sawbridgeworth Town Councillor since 2015. Before that, he worked in publishing and as an education consultant. We caught up with David after the May Zero Carbon Britain course, to talk about the work his council does in getting to zero carbon, and how the course will inform their work.
CAT’s Zero Carbon Britain courses see people join across all sectors of society, from school teachers to members of climate action groups to local councillors, to gain the knowledge and skills needed to help implement and inspire changes in their community.
What inspired you to join the Zero Carbon Britain: live online course?
Our County Council passed a Climate Emergency Motion last July; the District Council refused to call it an emergency on semantic grounds; both are yet to produce the promised action plans. I wanted to learn more about climate change, share concerns with others and access resources, best practice and links to follow up/adapt.
What are the key things you took home from the course?
I found Paul Allen’s Zero Carbon Britain introduction very helpful and clear in explaining how we have got into the present mess. The first time I have fully understood the background.
Rob Hopkins‘ talk was eye-opening and inspiring and Green Wedmore showed what might be possible in a small town like ours, with a bit of imagination and commitment.
How will what you learnt during the course inform the work of your council?
I have shared a summary and links with fellow councillors and members of the local groups, plus District Councillors and officers involved in implementing the climate action plan and arranging local sustainability forum meetings.
All councillors should see the Zero Carbon Britain presentation. I hope I can use what I learned to inform local action planning within the groups I belong to, as well as at council level. We have already funded a cycling and walking study, some of the recommendations from which we hope to fund and implement, following the government’s ‘green restart’ message and funding, but also linked to the three new developments in our town.
What are your plans/plans of your council?
As a councillor my particular concerns are:
- The impact of new housing developments on our town and the lack of commitment by the planning authority to ensuring that we get sustainable and energy-efficient new houses, despite the advice of the Committee on Climate Change.
- The lack of clearly explained recycling opportunities for residents, community groups businesses and local schools, including food waste.
Our town council passed a climate change motion and organised an eco-audit by 3 Acorns (Donnachadh McCarthy, who published books on a greener lifestyle 16 years ago), which we are in the process of implementing/extending to the town.
Want to learn more?
The latest Zero Carbon Britain report is free to download, with plenty of resources on developing community action plans and zero carbon models.
Our next Zero Carbon Britain: live online course takes place 23-24 September 2020.
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CAT Stories – Zero carbon councils: interview with Sarah Speakman-Jones
We recently caught up with Sarah after the May Zero Carbon Britain course, to talk about the work she and her council do in getting to zero carbon, and how our Zero Carbon Britain course will inform their work. (more…)
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Energy saving retrofits
To address the climate crisis we need to rapidly reduce energy use, and refurbishing homes to high energy standards is one of the key measures that can help. CAT Information Officer Joel Rawson looks at some different approaches to transforming UK housing.
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A tribute to Sir John Houghton, 1931-2020
World renowned climate scientist Sir John Houghton has died at the age of 88.
Sir John was a great friend of CAT and many other environmental organisations, and helped raise public understanding of both the impacts of climate change and the need for urgent action on solutions.
An illustrious career as one of the world’s most eminent climate scientists included serving as Co-Chair of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Scientific Assessment Working Group from 1988 to 2002. In 2007, he received the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the IPCC, an award shared with Al Gore.
A former Director General and later Chief Executive of the Met Office, Sir John founded the world renowned Hadley Centre for Climate Science and Services. As one of the foremost climate scientists of his generation, he contributed greatly to the understanding of the causes and impacts of global temperature rise.
In 2007, Sir John – who grew up in Rhyl, Denbighshire – moved to Mid Wales, becoming a near neighbour and valued adviser to CAT.
Paul Allen, CAT’s Zero Carbon Britain research coordinator said:
“Sir John Houghton was a great inspiration for CAT’s Zero Carbon Britain research, and a good friend. Years before net-zero carbon became a goal of governments around the world, Sir John encouraged us to explore solutions rooted in what the physics of the climate science demands, rather than what is judged to be politically palatable.
“We worked with him at several UN climate summits, and in 2016 he made a generous donation to CAT that allowed us to create the annual Sir John Houghton Bursary for our postgraduate students, helping support the next generation in exploring climate solutions. We will miss his wisdom, deeply held beliefs and foresight.”
The Sir John Houghton Bursary is awarded annually to a promising student who demonstrates that they have an excellent academic record and a passion for tackling climate change.
On making the donation, Sir John said:
“I have spent a lifetime studying the atmosphere and the climate and latterly have been concerned with the reality of human induced climate change. I now want to help the next generation tackle this serious problem, possibly the biggest the world faces.”
Thank you, John, for everything that you did to help build a better world, and for your friendship and support over many years.
Our deepest condolences to all of Sir John’s friends and family.
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Green Party MP Caroline Lucas discusses zero carbon solutions at CAT
Caroline Lucas MP visited CAT this week to discuss climate solutions and find out more about our research into how the UK can reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions.
On the visit, the Green Party MP met with the team from CAT’s new Zero Carbon Britain Hub to discuss ways that we can reduce energy use, switch to 100% renewables, and transform land use.
Speaking during the visit, Ms Lucas said:
“One of the most inspiring things about Zero Carbon Britain is the way everything it proposes is perfectly possible right now. It doesn’t rely on technologies we haven’t yet even thought of and haven’t developed, that we don’t have at scale.
“What Zero Carbon Britain does is to look at what we know now, and how we can use what we know, to ensure that we do reach that zero carbon target as soon as possible, and I think that the detail and the analysis that CAT brings to that job is second to none.”
CAT’s latest report Zero Carbon Britain: Rising to the Climate Emergency outlines a scenario in which the UK has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions to net zero, a target that is now enshrined in UK law.
CAT’s research shows how this could be done using existing technology, without relying on unproven carbon capture systems. The changes needed can bring many additional benefits, including improved public health, enhanced wellbeing, and a reduction in fuel poverty.
Paul Allen shares findings from CAT’s latest report, Zero Carbon Britain: Rising to the Climate Emergency The new Zero Carbon Britain Hub and Innovation Lab at CAT will help communities, local authorities and policymakers to create Zero Carbon Action Plans, and to provide support for the development of innovative solutions.
CAT Head of Development Eileen Kinsman said:
“This year CAT is greatly expanding our work with policymakers and local authorities, and our new Zero Carbon Britain Hub will be working with politicians from all the main parties to help them to build zero carbon action plans at local, regional and national levels.
“We welcomed the opportunity to share our work with Caroline Lucas MP, and to discuss the policies that could help the UK to tackle the climate emergency.”
Caroline Lucas and colleagues with CAT’s Zero Carbon Britain team Find out more about CAT’s Zero Carbon Britain research.
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