Thank you for subscribing to this newsletter. This is a place for us to update you on what we are doing at West Devon Borough Council and what things are going on around the borough.
It will tell you what's going on nationally and things you, our residents and businesses can be doing to reduce your carbon footprint and manage your land to improve the environment and its biodiversity.
If you have anything you would like to include in this newsletter, contact our Climate Change Specialist by email here
EV Strategy Consultation
West Devon Borough Council is happy to announce a public consultation on our Electric Vehicle (EV) charging strategy.
Our corporate strategy, a Plan for West Devon recognises the task we face in tackling climate change. Transport is among the highest cause of emissions in our Borough.
To combat this, we need to aid in the transition towards EVs the best that we can. We recognise the importance of engaging with the public, to ensure that our plan aligns with the needs and priorities of our communities, as we work towards meeting our climate declaration aims.
Our strategy and action plan outlines our proposed approach to developing and implementing an EV charging infrastructure that supports the needs of our community.
We're aiming to help provide convenient and accessible charging solutions that encourage the adoption of electric vehicles, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
During this public consultation, we are seeking feedback from individuals, businesses, and organisations on our proposed plan.
Thank you for your participation in this important process.
The Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Climate Adaptation Strategy Consultation Continues!
Deadline - 30 June
The Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly (DCIoS) Climate Adaptation Strategy is intended to help communities and organisations across the South West to better understand the risks their area might face in future, as climate change increasingly affects the UK.
It will also help them to adapt to these changes, by identifying the parties responsible for ensuring community safety.
This upcoming consultation will allow the public to read the draft Adaptation Strategy documents and provide feedback before the strategy’s launch later in 2023.
The Adaptation Strategy has three sections:
The Risk Register, which identifies regional climate impacts and their risks and opportunities
The Adaptation Plan, which sets out the conditions for everyone to act on adapting to climate change together
The Action Plan, which sets out the priority actions for regional collaboration over the next five years
The consultation will start on Tuesday 9 May and end on Friday 30 June.
Anyone who would like to provide feedback on the Adaptation Strategy will be able to read any of the three versions of the draft at on the Climate Adaptation website.
The Quick Reads slide decks are an ideal starting point for anyone who wants an overview of the strategy; the summary version provides key details about the strategy, while the full version dives into in-depth information on the risks, adaptation options and priorities for the DCIoS region.
Readers can then provide feedback by filling out the questionnaire on the website.
Funding
Naturesave Trust: River & Shoreline Pollution.
Deadline 30 June 2023
The Naturesave Trust supports environmental projects across the UK and is currently offering small grants to organisations that are working to tackle pollution in rivers and along coastlines.
Charities, voluntary organisations and businesses can apply to the Naturesave Trust (note that applications from schools are not accepted).
The current funding round, with the theme of river and shoreline pollution, is open until the end of June. Grants are between £500 and £5,000.
Implementing Climate Justice: Solidarity with Vulnerable Countries on the Road to COP28
10 - 4
On Saturday June 10, join members of the Allied for Climate Transformation by 2025 (ACT2025) consortium who will unveil their COP28 Call to Action and lay down the foundations for success at this year’s climate summit.
Outrage and Optimism Live Podcast Recording. Lifelines vs Deadlines, the need for science based policy.
Monday 12 June 2023 at 4:30 p.m.
Following on from their recent Momentum vs Perfection Live Q&A event, podcast hosts are inviting audiences to join them once more to discuss with the hosts. Join Paul Dickinson, Fiona Macklin, Dylan Tanner, Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac for a special online live podcast recording where you can put your questions directly to them.
Personalised Ecologies: Unlocking interactions with nature. Tuesday, 20 June 2023 19:00 p.m. - 20:30 p.m.
Interactions with nature are decreasing, alongside the very presence of nature itself. Connecting with the natural world is becoming harder, both for ourselves and for others we hope to engage with nature.
The idea of Personalised Ecologies is being used by a new research collaboration between the University of Exeter and the National Trust. ‘Renewing biodiversity through a people-in-nature approach’ (RENEW) is a five-year partnership programme to develop solutions to one of the major environmental challenges for humankind: the renewal of biodiversity.
Join this Green Futures Network event to learn about the Personalised Ecologies framework, and how it could be applied to supporting a deeper understanding of how we interact with nature, and how we can support others to reconnect.
The event is free, and is open to all who have an interest in ecology and biodiversity, and engaging communities, businesses and more in the natural world. Click here to find out more and to register.
The role of land ecosystems in climate mitigation and adaptation
Wednesday 12 July 2023 at 4:00 p.m.
Bonnie Waring is a Senior Lecturer in Imperial College London’s Department of Life Sciences and the Grantham Institute on Climate Change and Environment. Her work combines laboratory, field, and modelling approaches to understand how the ecology of plant and soil microbial communities controls carbon sequestration in land ecosystems.
Her research group is also investigating ways to better manage ecosystems in order to draw down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, by helping forests regrow and by co-deploying engineering and nature-based climate solutions. Dr Waring will discuss the role land ecosystems play in helping society mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis.
Energy Saving Devon - supporting the upgrading of Devon’s homes. Energy Saving Devon is delivered by Cosy Devon, a partnership between all the local authorities in Devon, their strategic partners and local community energy organisations.
It is administered by Devon County Council. Energy Saving Devon is your one stop shop for all things retrofit in Devon. You can access help, resources and create your own refurbishment plan with its plan builder tool.
Decarbonise Devon - Decarbonise Devon is available to support organisations undertake the entire process of developing and delivering a project that saves your organisation energy, reducing costs and carbon emissions.
Decarbonise Devon carries out the whole process for you: planning, project management, financing, finding trustworthy contractors, even verifying your impact.
Workplace Charging Scheme - The Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) is a voucher-based scheme that provides eligible applicants with support towards the upfront costs of the purchase and installation of electric vehicle (EV) charge points.
West Devon Town and Parish Guide to Net Zero - While parish and town councils may have more limited resources than the borough or county authority, parish and town councils can still be a very important force for good in their local areas to address the climate and ecological emergency.
We have curated a guide to get you started and provide tips here.
New Research and Publications
Almost half of animals in decline
According to research led by Queen's University Belfast, research spanning all five groups of vertebrates (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fishes) and insects show a widespread global erosion of species, with 48% undergoing declines, while 49% and 3% of species currently remain stable or are increasing.
The largest declines are evident in tropical zones and stability in more temperate zones. Using thier own methodology, Queens University Belfast researchers have found that 33% of species currently classed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as ‘non-threatened’, are declining.
Climate disaster with 2°C of warming could be avoided if global pledges are met
A study published in the the journal Nature Climate Change looked at countries that have announced or adopted net zero targets has found that, if fully implemented, current commitment will keep global warming to around 1.7 to 1.8 degrees Celsius by 2100, which is in line with the Paris Agreement’s “well below 2 °C” target, but not the more that its target of 1.5°C.
Whilst welcome news, researchers caution that pledges will only reach the target if commitments are fully implemented and that there remains feasibility concerns relating to costs and rate and scale of new technology.
The report is a result of talking with over 700 households and has shown that net zero is still largely misunderstood but that more respondents are concerned about climate change than before.
Energy affordability remains high on people mind, people also wanted more information on the benefits of adopting climate friendly behaviours.
Mortgage rate cut for energy efficient homes under government-backed trials
Homeowners who make their properties more energy efficient could see their mortgage rate cut under a new government-backed pilot.
Perenna Bank will receive more than £193,000 in government funding to help develop their long-term, fixed-rate mortgage that will incentivise customers to make their homes more energy efficient by offering to reduce their mortgage rate.
Another trial will see buy-to-let landlords add the cost of making properties more energy efficient onto their mortgage – enabling them to borrow the money for the improvements and include it in their monthly repayments.
Ashman Bank Limited will be awarded £200,000 to design and develop this, which will assess a property’s energy efficiency, provide options on how it can be improved and incorporate the cost of carrying out the work on to the duration of the mortgage.
The projects are among 26 green finance products being developed and tested, backed by £4.1 million of government funding.
They are aimed at encouraging and helping homeowners make their properties more energy efficient, with measures such as loft insulation and double glazing. This in turn will help them save more than £460 a year on their energy bills – one of many ways the government is helping ease the cost of living for families across the country.
A research paper published in Nature Communications has looked into the effectiveness of several widely considered policy options (electrification, light-weighting, retrofitting, scrapping, regulated manufacturing standards and modal shift) that seek to achieve more sustainable transportation.
The study used London as an example and found that in order to achieve the necessary emissions reduction to reach net zero targets, car usage needs to reduce by 72% by 2025. Researchers found that current policies, such as electrifying cars, would still lead to seven times the amount of emissions allowed by the Tyndall carbon budget due to the time lag in adoption and transition and also the enormous power requirements.
It is acknowledged that people often rely on cars to access basic services and do not have a feasible and reasonable alternative. Its here where researchers determine the changes need to occur, to make alternatives more widespread and convenient.
