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Article: Dec 12, 2020
By Veronica-Mae Soar
WALK ON A FRESH SPRING DAY
The morning dew upon the grass, the op'ning buds of May,
The nodding flowers along the woodland edge.
The feathered chorus all around, which sings to greet the day -
The litter scattered all about the hedge !
The skylark soaring high above, upon the airy breeze,
While through the leaves the sunbeams softly gleam.
The many sighing, whis'pring, rustling voices of the trees -
The supermarket trolley in the stream !
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Article: Dec 1, 2020
Dr Jane Goodall recorded at a GreenLibDem fringe on 28 September 2020 during the Autumn LibDem Conference
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Article: Nov 29, 2020
By George Miles
Green Liberal Democrats November 2020 Newsletter
* AGM 16 January 2021
* Green Liberal Democrats AGM & Elections
The GLD AGM will be held on Saturday 16 January 2021 via Zoom.
http://grn.lib.dm/p5G3
* SIGs: Join our new GLD Special Interest Groups :
Quality of Life Economics + Doubling Nature + Renewables and Energy Efficiency + Food from Farm to Table
http://grn.lib.dm/p7G4
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Article: Nov 27, 2020
A Green Economic Recovery for hope: tackling the climate
emergency with the jobs and technology people need
The Liberal Democrats' ambitious ten point plan for UK Net-Zero
As we look to beat the Covid health crisis, we should be doing far more to tackle the two crises
that will still face us - the jobs crisis and the climate emergency.
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Article: Nov 27, 2020
By Rt Hon Sir Ed Davey MP, Sarah Olney MP, Lord Oates, Jürgen Maier
Dear Boris and Alok,
We had hoped to be writing to welcome fully your government's action plan to achieve net-zero.
However your Ten Point Plan in no way matches the scale of what is needed to generate a Green
Economic Recovery, let alone fast track the UK towards tackling the climate emergency.
In Government, the Liberal Democrats delivered a historic increase in the UK's renewable electricity,
devised and led policies that have made the UK the world leader in offshore wind power and
developed a range of global firsts, from the world's only CCS-gas power plant project to roadmaps
for decarbonising the UK's energy intensive industries. Since 2015, we have regrettably seen five
largely wasted years, with significant mistakes such as the scrapping of our Zero Carbon Homes law
and our CCS projects. We had hoped your plan would be a turning point, but instead it is deeply
disappointing and a massive missed opportunity. We urge you to revise the scale of your ambitions
immediately
Your investment programme of £12 billion is totally inadequate. Set against what other developed
countries are investing, the scale of the opportunity and what you claim to want to achieve, it is
simply not credible. Even on basic programmes, such as energy efficiency and insulation, the
extension of the Green Homes Grant by just one year lacks any long-term thinking, when any serious
expert recognises that industry, firms and business need much greater certainty if they are going to
invest in skills and equipment. We all know decarbonising heat is challenging, so surely it makes
sense to do far more on reducing the nation's heat demand and thereby also tackling fuel poverty?
On power, it is welcome that your Conservative Government appears to have been converted to
offshore wind, but again the detailed policies to make this growth happen are sadly lacking, whilst
there is little serious commitment to other renewable electricity options, including onshore wind,
solar and tidal. Moreover, the scale of ambition and commitment to technologies that support a
radically deeper penetration of renewables, including interconnectors, battery storage, smart grid,
demand side response and pumped hydro, is sadly lacking. Instead, despite the evidence from
Hinkley Point C, which we know well, that nuclear power has not come down in price and remains
very expensive once its true costs and risks are properly accounted for, you have opted to expose
consumers and taxpayers to these much higher costs.
On transport, your plans for zero carbon vehicles falls far short of what is needed - both to support
the supply-side and really help the UK automotive sector to become a world leader, and to support
the demand-side, and provide the different incentives to consumers that will be needed. In the
aerospace industry, which is crying out for a future-focused strategy, your programme lacks any
serious targets or direction to deliver zero carbon flight domestically and even on short haul within
the timescale of the climate emergency and our economy demands.
It is good that some action is at last being taken on promoting hydrogen and reversing the shocking
lack of support for CCUS in recent years. However, once again, in comparison to other countries and
the scale of what is needed, the proposals seem shockingly weak. These two technologies are likely
to prove crucial both for decarbonisation and for minimising the economic challenges as Britain's oil
and gas industry transitions, and are both sectors the UK could be a world leader in. However, it
looks as if the scale of the opportunity may be sadly missed.
There is another way. The Liberal Democrats have detailed plans for a Green Economic Recovery
Our proposals are a bold and strategic bid to fast-track the UK to net-zero and to provide the jobs
people need and deliver the technology our economy needs We want to see a £150 billion public
investment programme to fire-up progress to UK net-zero over the next three years, and to help
British people and businesses to become global leaders in the technologies of the future. It is good
that the Treasury is at last addressing policies to help private capital markets play a bigger role in
financing a green recovery and the climate transition, yet once again, the scale of the ambition does
not meet the need or the opportunity.
With the UK hosting the COP26 global climate talks next year, and with the international opportunity
presented by the victory of President-Elect Joe Biden, now surely is the moment for the UK to show
true leadership in tackling the climate emergency.
The UK must aspire to lead the world again. Our plan presents a far more optimistic vision of new
climate economics, where people, businesses and communities across the UK can dare to hope
again. We would be happy to share it with you and explain why you now need to make the tough
decisions to secure Britain's green economic recovery.
Yours sincerely,
Rt Hon Sir Ed Davey MP - Liberal Democrat Leader and former Secretary of State for Energy and
Climate Change
Sarah Olney MP - Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for the Climate Emergency
Lord Oates - Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for the Climate Emergency (Lords)
Jürgen Maier - Chair of the Liberal Democrat Business and Economic Council and former Chief
Executive of Siemens UK
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Article: Nov 26, 2020
CPRE and FoE want councillors and others to sign this open letter
https://takeaction.cpre.org.uk/page/68213/petition/1
Defend local planning and ensure your community's voice is heard
An open letter to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
This open letter is about the government's proposed changes to the planning system, as announced in August 2020 in the White Paper - Planning for the Future. It's open for signatures from currently-serving councillors and MPs from all political parties and will be sent to the Secretary of State, Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP, at a later date. The purpose of the letter is to demonstrate the widespread concern at the local level about the government's plans.
You can add your name by filling in your details . The list of signatories will be available shortly.
The letter is being hosted by CPRE, the countryside charity, and Friends of the Earth. If you would like to find out more about the campaign we are running in opposition to the government's proposals, or if you have any general questions, please email Sam Keyte: SamK@cpre.org.uk.
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Article: Nov 26, 2020
Liberal Democrats are calling for £150 billion in funding for a Green Economic Recovery.
Today the Government announced their Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution.
Lib Dem Leader Ed Davey said,
Sadly, it fails to undo the damage the Conservatives have done to the UK's progress on climate change over the past five years.Their plan not only pledges to continue selling fossil fuel powered hybrid cars past 2030 but it also extends the Green Homes Grant by just one year
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Article: Nov 26, 2020
November's meeting opened with a discussion with Ed Davey in which he outlined his plans for the Parliamentary Party going forwards. Collectively we deliberated on how to make sure all parts of the party are collaborating effectively and making best use of Ed's overarching strategy.
The Moving Forward Programme
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Article: Nov 26, 2020
With the upcoming decision about the Westbury incinerator by Wiltshire council in the near future, this article highlighting the increase in Carbon emissions from waste disposal because of the expansion of energy-from-waste incineration plants is highly relevant.
A coalition of campaigners has warned that by by 2030 the government's push to increase incineration of waste will increase CO2 emissions by 10m tonnes a year, mostly from the burning of plastics, the groups said. They argue that the growth in energy-from-waste incineration means the UK will not be able to meet its commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
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Article: Nov 26, 2020
The government has announced a 10 point plan on addressing the issue of climate change
The 10-point plan comprises:
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A ban on combustion engine sales by 2030, with grants for electric cars, and funding for charge points. The sale of some hybrid cars and vans will continue until 2035.
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A previously announced pledge to quadruple offshore wind power by 2030, to 40GW, enough to power every UK home.
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Moves to boost hydrogen production, with the promise of a town heated entirely by hydrogen by the end of the decade.
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Investment of £525m towards new nuclear power, based on "the next generation of small and advanced reactors".
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£1bn next year for funds to insulate homes and public buildings, using the existing green homes grant and public sector decarbonisation scheme.
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An extra £200m invested in carbon capture initiatives.
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Support for greener energies in the aviation and maritime sectors, with £20m committed to the latter.
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30,000 hectares of trees planted every year, as part of nature conservation efforts.
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Moves to promote public transport, cycling and walking, although no new schemes were announced.
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A pledge to make London "the global centre of green finance".
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