Climate Action – Page 2 – The NEN

Support for Stirling students’ Plant-Based Universities initiative

On 10/11/22, at a students union general meeting, the Plant-Based Universities campaign put forward a motion for their facilities to transition to 100% plant-based catering by 2025, with 50% of the options being so by the 2023-24 academic year.
A majority of the, around 100, attendees voted in favour of the motion that will affect the 3 outlets operated by the union.
The vote is a landmark victory for the Plant-Based Universities campaign, which was announced in November 2021.
George Monbiot has spoken out about the vote, in a comment given to Plant-Based Universities.

Students at The University of Stirling have voted to embrace a completely plant-based menu to address the climate and ecological emergencies. The decision represents the first of its kind in the UK, following similar commitments by universities in Germany.

George Monbiot, the climate and animal justice writer and author of ‘Regenesis’, said: “It’s fantastic to see the next generation taking control of their future and putting humans, nonhuman animals and the planet first. The Plant-Based Universities campaigners at The University of Stirling are leading the way in tackling the climate crisis and creating a sustainable food system”

In 2018, comprehensive research from the University of Oxford showed that 76% of the land currently used for food production would be freed-up by a global transition to plant-based production.

This land could be rewilded and begin carbon drawdown, mitigating the worst impacts of climate breakdown. A 2019 Harvard University report on UK farmland and food production from Helen Harwatt and Matthew N. Hayek also concluded that the UK would be carbon-negative if it completely transitioned to a plant-based food system.

Imogen Robertson, 21, one of the campaigners at Stirling said: ““This vote is a clear sign that young people are willing to take decisive action on the climate and ecological emergencies.

“We will be working with catering staff to ensure this vote is implemented in a way that provides cheap, delicious, planet-saving options throughout our Student’s Union.

“We are delighted that our fellow students have decided to follow the scientific advice from world-leading academics and step into a brighter future. We hope this sparks a wave of bold action across UK universities to commit to just and sustainable plant-based catering”

The Plant-Based Universities campaign is a nationwide initiative of students who are pushing for their universities and student unions to adopt 100% plant-based catering.

The group claims that universities have an obligation to follow the scientific research that they produce, detailing the environmental impacts of animal farming and fishing. The campaign is active in over 40 institutions, with the group encouraging interested students to sign up to run local campaigns.

The Plant-Based Universities campaign is supported by the well-known animal and climate justice group Animal Rebellion.

Also supporting the initiative, wildlife TV presenter Chris Packham said on Twitter: “Young people doing it for themselves – this is good from @RebelsAnimal and @plantbasedunis

@StirUni – posted on Instagram

@veganuary

@vivacampaigns

‘Time For Action’: Tyre Extinguishers target New Town’s ‘killer vehicles’

Up to one hundred SUV vehicles in Edinburgh’s New Yown have been targeted by activists from environmental action group The Tyre Activists.

The activists deflated tyres on 4 x 4 vehicles across the affluent area and left leaflets on windscreens to explain their actions.

The group justifies their activities on a Facebook Page:

‘We are people from all walks of life with one aim: To make it impossible to own a huge polluting 4×4 in the world’s urban areas.

‘We are defending ourselves against climate change, air pollution and unsafe drivers.We do this with a simple tactic: Deflating the tyres of these massive, unnecessary vehicles, causing inconvenience and expense for their owners.

‘Deflating tyres repeatedly and encouraging others to do the same will turn the minor inconvenience of a flat tyre into a giant obstacle for driving massive killer vehicles around our streets.

‘We’re taking this action because governments and politicians have failed to protect us from these huge vehicles. Everyone hates them, apart from the people who drive them.

‘We want to live in towns and cities with clean air and safe streets. Politely asking and protesting for these things has failed. It’s time for action. Join us.

‘We have no leader – anyone can take part, wherever you are, using the simple instructions on this website.’

Police enquiries are ongoing.

Edinburgh awarded highest global rating for climate action

Edinburgh has become the first city in Scotland to be awarded with the highest rating for climate action.

Edinburgh is one of just 95 cities world-wide to be placed on the 2021 A List by CDP – an international charity which runs the world’s largest environmental disclosure system for companies and cities.

The A-List position recognises that Edinburgh has:

Publicly disclosed a city-wide emissions inventory
Set an emissions reduction target – for Edinburgh, this is a target of net zero emissions by 2030
Published a climate action plan, Edinburgh’s 2030 Climate Strategy, which sets the strategic direction for reducing the city’s emissions and becoming resilient to future climate change
Completed, and is in the process of updating a climate risk and vulnerability assessment
A climate adaptation plan, showing how it plans to tackle the unavoidable impacts of climate change, which will be updated and extended to respond to the risk assessment

By publicly disclosing Edinburgh’s environmental data through CDP, the city’s performance is benchmarked against other cities and regions across the world, helping to highlight areas of action and improvement.

Leader of the City of Edinburgh Council Adam McVey said: “This international recognition is a fantastic accomplishment for Edinburgh. It recognises how transparent we’re being about the action we’re taking as a city to tackle climate change as well as the hard work which is already underway to support our 2030 target.

“Net-zero redevelopments like Granton Waterfront, improving our parks, food growing sites and urban forests have all delivered action as a city to help deliver net-zero. “

“Whilst COP26 may have just ended, with some disappointment on progress agreed by National Governments, Edinburgh’s work continues to build on the progress we’ve already made. And the strength of Edinburgh’s approach has been endorsed with being listed one of just 95 cities in the world to be awarded an A-list status by the CPD, the only city in Scotland.

“Our works as a council and as a city will continue over the coming months and years to help deliver a net zero, climate ready capital by 2030 and we know that’s what our residents are demanding of us.”

Depute leader Cammy Day said: “This recognition from CDP is welcome encouragement and reinforces that we’re on the right track.As Scotland’s capital, we’re delivering innovative and ground-breaking projects which will encourage change at the speed and scale needed to ensure our young people inherit a thriving, climate ready, sustainable city which is a cleaner and healthier place to live and work.

“However we can’t afford to become complacent and we need to keep on driving city-wide climate action and change, whilst ensuring that no one is left behind to help Edinburgh meet its climate targets.”

Fewer than 1/10 cities reporting to CDP made the A List in 2021. Findings from the charity show that A List cities take twice as many mitigation and adaptation measures as non-A List cities, and also identify more than twice as many opportunities – such as the development of sustainable transport sectors and clean technology businesses.

About CDP

CDP is a global non-profit that runs the world’s environmental disclosure system for companies, cities, states and regions. Founded in 2000 and working with more than 590 investors with over $110 trillion in assets, CDP pioneered using capital markets and corporate procurement to motivate companies to disclose their environmental impacts, and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, safeguard water resources and protect forests.

Over 14,000 organizations around the world disclosed data through CDP in 2021, including more than 13,000 companies worth over 64% of global market capitalization, and over 1,100 cities, states and regions. CDP is a founding member of the Science Based Targets initiative, We Mean Business Coalition, The Investor Agenda and the Net Zero Asset Managers initiative.

Visit cdp.net or follow @CDP to find out more.

UK boost to advance gender equality in climate action

COP President Alok Sharma will announce how £165 million of UK funding will progress gender equality while tackling climate change

Two new programmes to boost women’s climate leadership and support those most vulnerable to climate change.
Ministers and representatives from private sector and civil society from across the world will meet at Gender Day at COP26 to announce new commitments which address the links between climate action and gender equality.

At its COP26 Gender Day today (Tuesday 9 November), the UK will announce £165 million to tackle climate change while addressing the inequalities that make women and girls more vulnerable to climate change and empowering them to take climate action.

Around the world, the UN has found that women are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change than men, in part because they constitute a large majority of the world’s poor and often depend on small-scale farming for a livelihood, which is particularly vulnerable to climate change. Women and children can comprise 80% of those displaced by climate-related disaster. But addressing gender inequality has also been proven to advance efforts to tackle climate change.

£165 million in UK funding will drive forward these aims:

up to £45 million to help empower local communities and grassroots women’s groups in Asia and the Pacific to challenge gender inequalities and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
£120 million to build resilience, prevent pollution, protect biodiversity, strengthen renewable energy and better manage waste, while also supporting women’s leadership, access to finance, education and skills in Bangladesh.

The chair of the flagship Gender Day event, UK International Champion on Adaptation and Resilience for the COP26 Presidency, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, said: “It is women, girls and those who are already most marginalised, that will be most severely impacted by climate change. But they also have a critical role to play to address the climate crisis.

“The UK is committed to addressing this dual challenge head on, committing new funding to empower communities and women’s groups to take locally-led adaptation action, to build local, national and global resilience. I urge more countries to make commitments to implement the UNFCCC Gender Action Plan and deliver the goals of the Feminist Action for Climate Justice.”

Through its COP26 Presidency, the UK has been urging countries around the world to put gender equality at the heart of climate action, and will today convene ministers and other actors to discuss new action to tackle gender and climate change. A number of countries and stakeholders will also announce bold new gender and climate commitments today.

The UK will jointly launch a toolkit on gender-smart climate finance. Co-led by CDC, the UK’s Development Finance Institution, the toolkit will improve understanding on the opportunities of gender-sensitive climate investment by providing guidance to the finance community on how to deliver climate outcomes while promoting gender equality and women’s economic opportunities.

Fatou Jeng, Founder, Clean Earth Gambia and Co-Lead YOUNGO Women and Gender working group, said: “Gender inequality creates additional burdens and barriers for women and girls during times of conflict and climate-related crisis which increases their risks of hunger, food insecurity and violence. But women play fundamental roles in local food systems and are carers and activists, which make them uniquely placed to drive longer term climate resilience.

“Women should be involved in the policy making, project planning and implementation of climate adaptation projects, and gender equality should be a key portion in climate financing. If gender equality is not taken as a serious issue in our climate decision-making, climate financing and climate adaptation processes, it will undermine opportunities for women in vulnerable communities to drive effective climate change adaptation and mitigation approaches that meet their needs.”

COP26 President Alok Sharma and Anne-Marie Trevelyan will host the UK’s Presidency Gender Day event accompanied by Little Amal, the 3.5 metre puppet travelling 8,000km in support of refugees, and Brianna Fruean, a Samoan Climate Change activist.

The First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, will speak along with youth advocate Fatou Jeng, UN Women Deputy Executive Director Asa Regner and Indigenous activist Tarcila Rivera Zea, for a discussion on how to enable gender equality through climate actions. The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, will also address the event.

Minister for Europe and the Americas, Wendy Morton, will also announce the UK’s new commitment to develop a FCDO girls’ education and climate policy to help secure concerted global action on climate change in the education sector, to prevent climate change disrupting girls’ education and empowering girls to take climate action.

This follows COP26 Youth and Public Empowerment Day last week, where the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Girls’ Education Helen Grant announced support for girls’ education in the face of climate change. This includes an £85,000 research grant to support the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. The Centre will produce better information on the education needs of refugee children to enable a more effective international response.

Letters: The Air We Breathe

Dear Editor

Financial organisations are operating heavily in ore mining, oil extraction, shale drilling, coal mining and – worst of all – they are active in the destruction of the world’s forests.

The rapid destruction has now reached 70% of our forests. Behind these ghastly figures stand the faceless multinational financial organisations.

The felling of the world’s trees reduces the ability of the forests to produce the oxygen that we humans need to breathe. The rate of oxygen decrease is destructive to humans, animals and sea stocks.

We have the knowledge of this terrible destruction being carried out by these exploiters. The oxygen cannot be replaced because the forest has been chopped down – it has gone!

We know who is doing this and they know who they are – causing catastrophe!

Our government – all governments – must immediately stop this destruction of the rain forests, the soil erosion and the terrifying population dispalcement.

A. Delahoy

Silverknowes Gardens

NOTE: Tony may be heartened by announcements expected from the COP26 conference later today – ED.

COP 26: “We have no choice but to deliver” – Alok Sharma

World leaders must come together for our planet and deliver in Glasgow on the promise made at COP21 in Paris, COP26 President-Designate Alok Sharma will say today (Tuesday 12th October) in a major speech at the UNESCO World Heritage Centre in the French capital.

The landmark Paris Agreement was reached at COP in 2015, which committed countries to avoid the worst effects of climate change by limiting global temperature rises well below 2C, aiming for 1.5C.

Mr Sharma will point to progress made since the Paris Agreement and outline the importance of leaders taking ambitious action at COP26 in the UK later this month. The Summit will open in Glasgow on 31st October.

The COP26 President will highlight four elements for COP26 to deliver the level of ambition required:

1) climate action plans to significantly reduce emissions by 2030 and reach net zero by mid-century, and to support adaptation to tackle climate threats

2) concrete action to deliver these plans, including agreements on reducing coal, electric cars, protecting trees and reducing methane emissions

3) to honour the $100bn dollar pledge, and

4) a negotiated outcome that paves the way for a decade of ever-increasing ambition.

Mr Sharma will echo the call from the countries most vulnerable to climate change for all G20 countries and major emitters of greenhouse gases to come forward with enhanced, ambitious 2030 climate action plans, known as Nationally Determined Contributions. The leaders of the G20 countries will meet in Rome at the end of this month.

He will also urge world leaders to take the lead from those climate vulnerable countries which are taking action in the most difficult circumstances to protect the planet and its people.

COP26 President-Designate Mr Sharma is expected to warn leaders: “COP26 is not a photo op or a talking shop. It must be the forum where we put the world on track to deliver on climate. And that is down to leaders. It is leaders who made a promise to the world in this great city six years ago. And it is leaders that must honour it.

“Responsibility rests with each and every country. And we must all play our part. Because on climate, the world will succeed, or fail as one.”

The President will be clear that we must see new commitments on public and private finance to support the countries most vulnerable to climate change and progress on adaptation to the effects of our changing climate, accounting for the loss and damage that it can cause.

He will also speak about the work done ahead of COP26 to make it the most inclusive COP to date, despite the unprecedented challenges the world faces in hosting an event during the COVID-19 pandemic. He will set out the measures in place to make the Summit safe, including the vaccine offer to developing countries, daily testing regime and social distancing in the venue.

On this, Alok Shama is will say: “It will be an extraordinary COP in extraordinary times. But collectively, we must pull together to make it work. Forging unity from the unfamiliar. Because we have no choice but to deliver.

“Each country must step-up. And as COP26 President I will ensure that every voice is heard. That the smallest nations are sitting face to face with the world’s great powers. As equal parties to the process.”

Round Britain Climate Challenge takes flight

‘Human Swan’ Sacha Dench has taken off on courageous circumnavigation of Britain by paramotor
Sacha takes off from Scottish beach on Round Britain Climate Challenge

After several delays caused by bad weather and technical issues with the paramotor Sacha Dench has taken off on the first ever circumnavigation of mainland Britain by electric paramotor.

She took off from the beach at Stevenson on the west coast of Scotland heading south along the coast on her 3,000 mile + journey around Britain – ending back in Glasgow in around 12 weeks’ time.

She will be landing frequently, and with her ground crew will be talking with, filming, and gathering information from industry, innovators and entrepreneurs, local heroes, communities, schools, farmers and individuals – anybody involved in addressing the effects of climate change in their areas.

A compilation of these stories will be presented at COP26 in Glasgow in November.

Sacha flying along the Western Coast of Scotland

Sacha flying over Culzean Castle

Sacha flying over Turnberry Golf Course

The journey is set inspire and excite people in all walks of life to get behind climate change actions in Britain – to get involved at local level in whatever small way to help reduce Carbon emissions.

Sacha says: “We need to get 140,001 people to take personal climate action between 18 June and 17th July to get a Guinness World Record. There’s a great way of doing this through Count Us In https://www.count-us-in.org/ – so please sign up NOW!

“As well as investigating how climate change is affecting different regions of the country, we will be showing, in a visually stunning and exciting way – from the air, ground and underwater – what is happing to help cut carbon and preserve and restore our environment.

“We’ll be finding the likely and unlikely heroes and discovering where and what works. I am so looking forward to meeting all the hundreds of inspiring people along the route.”

UK cities lead on Global Climate Action Goals

Five years into the Paris Agreement – and in the lead-up to the 2021 UN climate negotiations in Glasgow – UK cities are taking bold climate action. Cities worldwide have much to learn from their UK peers’ successes and challenges, according to a new report by the 1000 CITIES Initiative, which aims to mobilise 1,000 cities to respond to the climate crisis.

“Leading British cities are responding to the climate emergency by moving forward with effective and innovative climate policies, including ambitious targets, carbon budgets, and unique approaches to community engagement,” said Rebecca Foon, co-founder of the 1000 CITIES Initiative. “Other cities should take note of their approaches to cutting carbon emissions. Communities around the world need to accelerate climate action to hit the Paris Targets.”

UK cities have some of the world’s most ambitious climate targets, with many adopting goals to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2030, according to the 1000 CITIES Climate Action Best Practices in UK Cities report.

In contrast, many leading North American cities have action plans that aim to reach the same goal by 2050. Others are planning for an 80% or smaller emissions reductions over the next three decades—an aspiration that we now know will not prevent dangerous levels of global warming.

“One of the key messages which Glasgow is issuing to the world as host city for COP26 is that it is cities which are leading on the delivery of national ambitions for a low-carbon and climate resilient future,” said Duncan Booker, Chief Resilience Officer and COP26 Stakeholder Manager at Glasgow City Council.

“It was our cities that generated the first industrial revolution and it will be our cities that lead a just transition to a greener, cleaner economy and society.”

One notable strategy that has enabled British cities to set ambitious targets is their approach to community engagement, according to the report, which is based on research on 12 UK local governments, including Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Oxford and Somerset.

The research was carried out by Sustainability Solutions Group (SSG), a leading North American climate planning consultancy, and funded by the Rothschild Foundation, a UK-based charitable trust focused on the arts and humanities, the environment, and social welfare.

“Almost every city we studied had some sort of community coalition or engagement process that brought together charities, businesses, academic institutions, and other local groups. The communities collectively took ownership for climate action,” said Julia Meyer-MacLeod, Principal at SSG.

“In some cases, the community coalitions themselves were responsible for or even helped to write the local climate action plan,” added Meyer-MacLeod. “This not only gave Councils confidence to pass ambitious climate plans, but enabled cities to hit the ground running with climate actions that were pre-approved by local industry and community groups.”

For example, in 2019, Oxford became the first city to create a citizens assembly on climate change. The assembly, which was livestreamed on social media, brought together a group representative of the City, including members from all major political parties, climate and social scientists, business sector representatives, and community organisations.

These citizens identified a widespread desire for Oxford to be a leader in tackling the climate crisis, prompting the City to commit an additional £1,040,000 to its climate action efforts and laying the foundation for it to undertake the most ambitious smart grid trials in the UK.

Applying a “climate lens” to all Council decisions is another best practice highlighted in the report. More than half of the 12 cities featured in the report have implemented a climate lens. The City of Leeds, for example, requires all reports to Council to provide details on the climate implications of proposed decisions. In addition, a report is presented at each Council meeting outlining progress towards emissions reduction targets.

“Climate lenses help to ensure that councils stay accountable to their climate pledges,” said Meyer-MacLeod. “Leading cities have also taken their accountability measures to the next level by creating carbon budgets that set a cap on how much greenhouse gas they can emit – ever.”

More than half of the 12 local governments have implemented or are considering carbon budgets, which set annual, declining caps on GHG emissions, aligned with the Paris Agreement target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

“By implementing carbon budgets, cities like London, Manchester, and Oxford are doing their part to significantly limit the severity of extreme heat, sea level rise, and other effects of global warming,” said Meyer-MacLoed. “It is critical for cities around the world to follow their lead to limit catastrophic climate change.”

The complete 1000 CITIES Climate Action Best Practices in UK Cities report can be found here.

Celebrate International Yoga Day at North Edinburgh Arts

International Yoga Day at North Edinburgh Arts

Friday, 21 June 3.45pm – 9pm

Join Stephanie, Anna and Kizer for a day of midsummer yoga and meditation.

Limited spaces so please book in advance by emailing admin@northedinburgharts.co.uk or by calling 0131 315 2151

Cost: By donation