South Hams District Council is once again partnering with Carbon Savvy to run its second engagement campaign.

Black Friday and Christmas are approaching as well as the global climate summit in Glasgow.  How can we balance shopping with protecting the natural world?  A group of Devon councils and charities and carbon experts are leading the way with a program called Shop4good.  It promotes ten ways to shop that reduce CO2 emissions and raise well-being.  The campaign follows new research that shows consumer interest in sustainability has increased significantly since the pandemic, and suggests consumer buying power may be doing more to help the climate that initially realised.

Carbon Savvy’s Director, Mukti Mitchell, has dedicated his life to saving CO2, and was winner of the Energy Efficiency Champion of the Year Award last week at the Southwest Energy Efficiency Awards.  He said, “governments and councils can only set targets, but to achieve these every individual, business and organisation needs to reduce their own carbon footprint.  I’m delighted to be working with Devon councils, charities and Falmouth University, to save CO2.  The good news is that most actions that save CO2 also increase our well-being and save money. I’m particularly excited about the Shop4good online quiz which is a bit of fun and has great prizes, so I hope you’ll take part.”

Mukti is keen to highlight that as consumers we are powerful.  He continues “New research by the World Wildlife Fund found that two thirds of consumers think about sustainability when shopping.  As consumers we influence industry every day and one example is that 50% of fashion executives say consumer demand is driving their pursuit of sustainability.  We can build the world we want through the way we spend, because every penny is a vote.”                

Cllr Tom Holway, Executive Member for Climate Change and Biodiversity for South Hams District Council, said: “The more we buy locally produced goods and food, the more we support jobs in our area.  We are told there may be a shortage of Christmas goods and food because of the driver shortage, so make the most of what’s on your doorstep. Order locally grown Christmas food, have a look in our local artisan workshops for Christmas present ideas, such as locally produced leather goods and jewellery, and hand crafted wooden toys for young children. Perhaps even an exciting outdoor experience for a teenager such as learning to surf or a stand up paddleboard session.”

Shop4good runs from Saturday 30th October to Saturday 13th November in parallel with COP26.  Find out more and take the quiz to win a prize by clicking here.

Ten questions we will be focusing on during Shop4good are;

• How do you get there?
• Where do you go?
• How long does it last?
• What happens at the end of its life?
• Why are you buying it? (E.g. Necessity/make someone/self feel special)
• Do I really need it?
• Can you shop savvy on Black Friday? (26 Nov)
• Are you looking for a "Green" Christmas?
• Have you thought of non material presents?
• Did you know you influence industry through your buying choices?

Keep an eye out on the South Hams District Council and Carbon Savvy social media channels in the lead up to the event and during Shop4good.

Bigbury Net Zero are calling on the people of the South Hams to join thier Beach Assembly at Bigbury-on-Sea and help to send a clear message from our Communities to our leaders at COP 26.  We understand the Emergency of this situation and want the decisions at COP26 to reflect this.

On Saturday 6 November at 11.30 am local farmer, John Tucker will carve out the words SOS COP 26 with his tractor in the sand of the Causeway at low tide. Please keep well out of the way whilst he does this.

Assemble on the Beach at midday in the area below the Causeway Club (see photo below) Volunteer Marshalls will guide you and keep you safe.  Please follow their instructions.

The Modbury Town Crier will open the event at midday. There will be a very brief introduction from Bigbury Net Zero about the message we are sending to COP26

The Modbury Gospel Singers will lead you in singing "Oh What a Wonderful World" First to move onto the beach will be the The British Divers Marine Life Rescue who will take life size inflatable sea mammals into the 'O' of the SOS.  Please wait for them to get installed. The Town Crier then gives you the order to Assemble on the other Letters on the Beach with your Umbrellas open whilst a drone videos you assembling to spell out ‘SOS – COP26’

Click here to find out more.

The report outlining the outcomes of the Devon Climate Assembly was published on 12 October 2021. The report covers the findings of the Devon Climate Assembly - a group of 70 individuals from across Devon who came together over the summer to vote on what they wanted to see included in a low-carbon future for Devon.  

Assembly members voted on a total of fourteen resolutions, split between three contentious climate topics: retrofitting, onshore wind and transport.

Eleven resolutions received majority support from members. Many of the resolutions were attended by conditions. These conditions were written by members to indicate the actions that would increase their advocacy for a particular resolution.

Qualifying the resolutions in this way helpfully highlights what work needs to be done to support a transition to a low-carbon society. Now, let's turn to the resolutions that received the most support across all three sectors.

Retrofitting:

The resolution about home energy efficiency (retrofitting) that received the most support was: "We believe that the existing financial supports available across Devon are not effective for encouraging people to undertake the degree of retrofitting work on their properties that will be required to meet net zero targets"  - Supported by 94% of members.

Onshore Wind

The resolution about onshore wind that received the most support was:  "In principle, we support the development of more onshore wind turbines in Devon"  - Supported by 89% of members This resolution was further supported by the second resolution: "In principle, we support reforming the National Planning Framework to remove the requirement for 'complete' community support from development planning applications for onshore wind turbines". - Supported by 87% of members 

Roads and Mobility

The resolution about roads and mobility (transport) that received the most support was:  "We recognise that there will always be a need for private car use in Devon, particularly in rural areas of the county, and support the initiatives included in the Interim Devon Carbon Plan to help minimise the emissions these cause by investing in the infrastructure to support the increased use of electric vehicles" - Supported by 92% of members The next step will be to transform all of the assembly's recommendations into deliverable actions and incorporate them into the next iteration of the Devon Carbon Plan. Once this is complete, Devon Climate Emergency will consult the public on the Carbon Plan in Spring 2022.

Click here to read the report.

The next stage of the process will be for the Devon Climate Emergency Partnership, which includes South Hams District Council, to begin to turn these recommendations into actions for the Devon Carbon Carbon. Stay tuned for more.

The Government published its Net Zero Strategy on 19 October, quite a lengthy read with over 380 pages. Whilst there's a lot of information in this strategy, there are some key highlights for local communities and Local Authorities.

The Net Zero Strategy has its own Local Climate Action section, which attempts to answer some of the calls from the Climate Change Committee and National Audit Office around Local Authorities role in achieving net-zero. Here are some of the key relevant points for Councils

- Public sector organisations should be taking steps to achieve net-zero now should report their progress. 

- There is mention of legislation to require public sector organisations to report on their emissions reductions.

- Acknowledgment that public sector organisations require specialist skills and expertise, as well as funding to act at an unprecedented scale and to ensure organisations have the capacity to deliver on organisational carbon emissions reduction.

- The Government will set clearer expectations on how central and local government interact in the delivery of net-zero but it has ruled out setting local statutory net-zero targets despite recognising that delivery on the Sixth Carbon Budget relies on Councils to some degree.

- Market-led solutions is a common theme throughout and the Government look keen to support Councils to develop net-zero projects that can attract commercial investment.

- Recognition that local government drives action directly as it acknowledges that 82% of emissions are in our scope of influence

- Government will review funding mechanisms but hasn’t provided much detail outside of noting the National Audit Office findings that existing short term competitive funds don’t work and only serve to benefit well-resourced authorities.

- Government looking to explore the possibility of establishing a new single unit for all sustainable procurement policy within government to send a signal to the market that data on carbon impact and immediate ambition to reduce it will be increasingly important. Likely learning for Local Authorities here once the detail is provided.

- Extra funding for the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme

- Encouragement to continue Local Authority and Local Community partnerships/relationships

- Community Energy given some mention but hasn't announced anything new, rather re-iterating existing support mechanisms

- The Government have an ambition to increase vehicle occupancy rates and will publish guidance for LA's on shared car ownership and shared occupancy.

- The UK investment bank will refine its Local Authority lending function over the coming months. Overall, lacking a bit of detail for Local Authorities with a lot of detail to come, but the bones of some level of direction is here and a recognition of the role we have in achieving net-zero.

If you’re interested in reading the whole strategy you can find it by clicking here 

Climate Change not only risks our way of life, but it also risks things we hold dear, such as our landscapes and natural environment, but also our heritage.

The Historic Environment Forum have published a report on how the sector is taking positive action. The report titled 'Heritage Responds' is the culmination of six months of collaboration by the members of the Historic Environment Forum COP26 Task Group and showcases how the sector is responding to Climate Change, including investment in traditional low-carbon building adaptation techniques, nature-based solutions to mitigate the future impact of Climate Change, and renewed efforts to increase the lifespan of heritage assets and save the embodied carbon which might otherwise be sacrificed in demolition, new construction or poor upkeep. 

Click here to read the report. 

In its third adaptation report, the Environment Agency warns of more extreme weather leading to increased flooding and drought, sea level rises, and public water supplies needing more than 3.4 billion extra litres of water per day by 2050.

The report warns that even with a 2°C temperature rise compared to pre-industrial levels, the following projections can be expected:

• Winter rainfall expected to increase by approximately 6% by the 2050s and by 8% by the 2080s, compared to a 1981-2000 baseline.
• Summer rainfall expected to decrease by approximately 15% by the 2050s compared to a 1981-2000 baseline.
• London’s sea level is expected to rise by between approximately 23cm by the 2050s and 45cm by the 2080s.
• River flows will be more extreme. Peak flows are expected to be up to 27% higher in the 2050s, while in the summer months river flows could be 82% lower by as soon as 2050.
• Public water supplies are expected to require more than 3.4 billion extra litres of water per day if no action is taken before 2050.

to read the report in full, click here.