HELP CHANGE OUR CLIMATE TO MAKE IT COOLER

HELP CHANGE OUR CLIMATE

BY CHANGING TO ZERO EMISSION TRANSPORT WE MIGHT COOL OUR CLIMATE

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There is an abundance of clean, renewable, wind and solar energy that can produce green hydrogen and electricity to charge vehicle batteries, but there is no transport infrastructure to support rapid energy exchanges, or smooth the supply of power for our grids, such as to free us from fossil fuels.

Help us to cool our climate, by investing in smarter EV infrastructure, which may mean a new hydrogen based Grid in the UK, since profits are siphoned off by overseas investors thanks to Thatcherism, instead of being reinvested in grid upgrades and R&D. If we act fast enough to change our ways, we might begin to reverse global warming.

Global warming is responsible for exacerbating extreme weather conditions, leading to storms like Eunice and floods like those from Franklin. All of which causes Power Cuts, the enemy of a sustainable future free from fossil fuels.

Renewable energy and intelligent use of of electricity can be used to make light, heat and give EV traction motors the energy they need to get us, us being the human race and all other animals on planet earth, to where we want to be. Cooler and safe.

We caused this problem, in the headlong charge for growth via exploitation of cheap (subsidized) coal and oil - not thinking of the consequences.

The consequences have now caught up with us. We owe it to the planet to do what we can, as quickly as we can to turn back the clock.

The house building boom in Wealden, East Sussex, is a fine example of councillors working to ensure party political donations keep rolling in, while fueling global warming. The odd thing, is that the Liberal Democrat's who took over from the Conservative majority, is still passing planning applications as fast as they can go, to advantage local builders of the delays. Tending to suggest, that the change of party has little to do with who is actually controlling the council: the planning officers - under delegated powers. Presumably, that is where other (unrecorded) incentives are being dolled out. Since the Community Infrastructure Levies are not going to road improvement, etc. To wit the increasing number of potholes in the district. Returning year on year, because the roads cannot take the extra traffic new homes generate on A and B class tarmac. We wonder why the taxpayer should pay member's expenses, when they have little or no control over development within their area, simply adding to the local authority's carbon footprint, and the rates for local residents? Flooding is a major concern in East Sussex. The more high carbon houses that are built, the more the planet can expect global warming, that in turn melts the ice caps, so releasing more moisture into the atmosphere, leading to increased precipitation and flooding. Council like Wealden, are thus directly responsible for the floods in Sussex in proportion to their local building boom. The same may be said of Evergrande in China, under Xi Jinping, as to uncontrolled property booms. To the tune of $300 billion. Nobody seems to care about rising temperatures, so long as they have their hands in property developer's wallets. It makes no difference which country you look at. It's all about the money.

THE GUARDIAN 4 OCTOBER 2023 - HOUSE BUILDING COMPANIES SAVED BILLIONS FROM TORY DELAYS TO LOW CARBON RULES

Exclusive: 10% of Tory donations came from housebuilders while green standards were held up or ditched.

Housebuilders and property developers have benefited by billions of pounds from delays to low-carbon building regulations in the past eight years of Tory rule, while the sector became one of the biggest sources of donations to the Conservative party.

The delays mean that homeowners and taxpayers will have to pay tens of billions of pounds to bring newly built homes up to low-carbon standards, and have resulted in years of unnecessarily high greenhouse gas emissions, and higher energy bills for residents.

At least 10% of donations received by the Conservative party since 2010 came from property developers, real estate tycoons and others connected with the construction industry, exclusive Guardian analysis shows.

The government is to implement fresh delays to green regulations, after the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, announced a rollback of net zero policies last month that will benefit housebuilders still further.

The Guardian analysis found housebuilders, developers, and real estate tycoons have donated almost £40m to the Tories since 2010, when the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition took office.

CONSERVATIVES HAVE RECEIVED 14 TIMES MORE THAN LABOUR FROM THE PROPERTY INDUSTRY SINCE 2010

The construction sector – including some companies that are not Tory party donors – has saved at least £15bn since 2015 by building homes to old, high-carbon standards, without solar panels and batteries, heat pumps and effective insulation.

The cost of remedying these omissions in order to reach the UK’s target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, if left to individual homeowners or taxpayers, would reach £45bn, according to the analysis.

Since 2015, the Conservative government has made several decisions that have saved money for housebuilders while running counter to the UK’s green targets. These decisions include:

- Refusing to require new homes to be built with heat pumps instead of gas boilers, resulting in most new homes being connected to the gas grid.

- Refusing to mandate that new homes are built with solar panels.

- Delaying tougher building regulations on insulation.

- Delaying a “future homes standard” to ensure new homes are net zero carbon.

- Continuing to back hydrogen for home heating, after experts warned it would be expensive and impractical.

- Attempting to scrap nutrient regulations that would force housebuilders to clean up watercourses.

Juliet Phillips, a senior policy adviser at the E3G climate thinktank, said: “Several key environmental regulations have been thrown into the regulatory bonfire. This includes delays to new laws that would have required housing developers to boost biodiversity and improve local wildlife habitats. There are concerns that even more regulations could get caught in the crossfire of the highly politicised net zero culture war. Among these is the requirement for new homes to be highly efficient and installed with a heat pump from 2025.”

She said delays had already added to costs for householders and taxpayers. “Delays to the future homes standard hit homeowners twice: first, through higher energy bills associated with inefficient buildings; and second, through costly retrofits needed to make homes net zero ready. Industry, investors and consumers urgently require reassurance that the standard will be implemented as planned from 2025,” she said.

“It’s a false economy to think that delaying the introduction of the standard will benefit the UK. Instead, long-term policy certainty will spur investment in green skills and supply chains. We urge the government to move ahead with the planned consultation without further delay.”

Building a new home to low-carbon standards is cheaper than retrofitting it. Green experts approached by the Guardian estimated the building cost for installing items such as air source heat pumps, solar panels and batteries, and insulation, would be about £8,500. However, for a householder to retrofit a dwelling to the same standards would cost about £33,000.

The cost difference is because developers can integrate the technologies into the building design and fabric during its construction, while also benefiting from large economies of scale. It is also easier to install some equipment, such as ground source heat pumps which require extensive trenches, or insulation that is fitted into walls, from the outset than to do so later.

David Cowdrey, the director of external affairs at the MCS Charitable Foundation, which works to promote renewable energy, said: “Contrary to some MPs’ claims, research shows that people overwhelmingly want renewables like solar panels, heat pumps and battery storage to make sure their homes are affordable to keep warm and comfortable. It should be a no-brainer to put renewable energy in all homes, when doing so is cheap and efficient, and does not rely on expensive gas for heating.”

In 2015, soon after the Conservatives won the general election, the government scrapped regulations that would have forced the construction sector to ensure all new homes were low carbon. Since then, about 1.5m new homes have been built, the vast majority of which would not meet such standards.

A Guardian analysis of Electoral Commission data found the Conservative party had received £27.1m in donations from real estate, construction and development companies since 2010.

The party received a further £11.2m from individuals who sit on the boards of property companies or have large real estate interests. Separately, Tory MPs received more than £850,000 in gifts and donations from companies and individuals connected to the construction industry in the same period.

The £39m in combined party and MP donations to the Conservatives from property interests is 13 times the £2.7m donated to the Labour party or its MPs in the same period: £2.3m from property companies, £401,000 from individuals and £271,000 to its MPs.

This £39m includes more than £2m in the past 18 months: the party received £1.9m in donations from property companies and £567,000 from individuals with links to them.

Countywide Developments – of which the property developer Tony Gallagher is director – has given £4.3m to the Conservative party since 2010, including £385,000 since January 2022.

John Bloor has donated £3.1m to the party since 2010 through his various companies.

Other companies that have donated large amounts include Bridgemere UK, which provides development finance for UK housebuilders and developers, and has donated £1.6m to the Conservatives since 2019. Thakeham Homes has donated £966,440 since 2017, £250,000 of it in 2022.

Individuals who have donated large amounts include the real estate investor Roger Orf (£628,000 since 2013), the luxury developer Nicholas Candy (£271,000 since 2020), and the real estate magnate Laurence S Geller (£444,000 since 2018).

Building a new home to low-carbon standards is cheaper than retrofitting it. Green experts approached by the Guardian estimated the building cost for installing items such as air source heat pumps, solar panels and batteries, and insulation, would be about £8,500. However, for a householder to retrofit a dwelling to the same standards would cost about £33,000.

The cost difference is because developers can integrate the technologies into the building design and fabric during its construction, while also benefiting from large economies of scale. It is also easier to install some equipment, such as ground source heat pumps which require extensive trenches, or insulation that is fitted into walls, from the outset than to do so later.

David Cowdrey, the director of external affairs at the MCS Charitable Foundation, which works to promote renewable energy, said: “Contrary to some MPs’ claims, research shows that people overwhelmingly want renewables like solar panels, heat pumps and battery storage to make sure their homes are affordable to keep warm and comfortable. It should be a no-brainer to put renewable energy in all homes, when doing so is cheap and efficient, and does not rely on expensive gas for heating.”

In 2015, soon after the Conservatives won the general election, the government scrapped regulations that would have forced the construction sector to ensure all new homes were low carbon. Since then, about 1.5m new homes have been built, the vast majority of which would not meet such standards.

A Guardian analysis of Electoral Commission data found the Conservative party had received £27.1m in donations from real estate, construction and development companies since 2010.

The party received a further £11.2m from individuals who sit on the boards of property companies or have large real estate interests. Separately, Tory MPs received more than £850,000 in gifts and donations from companies and individuals connected to the construction industry in the same period.

The £39m in combined party and MP donations to the Conservatives from property interests is 13 times the £2.7m donated to the Labour party or its MPs in the same period: £2.3m from property companies, £401,000 from individuals and £271,000 to its MPs.

This £39m includes more than £2m in the past 18 months: the party received £1.9m in donations from property companies and £567,000 from individuals with links to them.

Countywide Developments – of which the property developer Tony Gallagher is director – has given £4.3m to the Conservative party since 2010, including £385,000 since January 2022.

John Bloor has donated £3.1m to the party since 2010 through his various companies.

Other companies that have donated large amounts include Bridgemere UK, which provides development finance for UK housebuilders and developers, and has donated £1.6m to the Conservatives since 2019. Thakeham Homes has donated £966,440 since 2017, £250,000 of it in 2022.

Individuals who have donated large amounts include the real estate investor Roger Orf (£628,000 since 2013), the luxury developer Nicholas Candy (£271,000 since 2020), and the real estate magnate Laurence S Geller (£444,000 since 2018).

A Conservative party spokesperson said: “The prime minister has set out a practical route to achieving net zero that does not clobber households with higher rents and bills. We are still committed to meeting our net zero target by 2050.”

A government spokesperson said: “The future homes standard will deliver homes that are net zero ready. In 2021 we introduced an improvement in energy efficiency standards, meaning new homes being built now already produce significantly lower carbon emissions and have excellent levels of insulation. We are also supporting homeowners to get ready for net zero through a number of schemes, including the new Great British insulation scheme.”

A spokesperson from Bloor Homes said neither John Bloor, nor any representatives of the company, had held meetings with ministers or civil servants in the last three years, and the company had not asked the government to delay green regulations on new homes. They said: “Donations to the Conservative party ceased in March 2021. However, charitable donations in the last two years amounted to £14.49m. In addition, we have established a £50m non-recourse facility to the Crick Institute. All homes built conform to the building regulations applicable at the time they are built, and always have done.”

Countywide, through Gallagher Developments, did not respond to a request for comment.

A spokesperson for Bridgemere said: “Bridgemere has made several donations to the Conservative party but none over the last 18 months as it has become increasingly frustrated by the government’s total lack of progress on urgently required planning reforms. This lack of reform which ensures that fewer and fewer new homes are built every year is the major contributory factor to the current housing crisis. Any engagement with ministers [or] officials has been on this issue alone.”

The spokesperson added that Bridgemere’s Castle Green Homes had built about 500 new homes across north-west England and north Wales “to the latest environmental and energy efficiency standards. Castle Green is committed to further reducing its carbon footprint as rapidly as possible through the deployment of the latest technologies including air source heat pumps, solar panels, the extensive use of sustainable timber-framed construction and many other initiatives. ”

A spokesperson for Thakeham said: “Thakeham consistently pushes for higher environmental and sustainability standards in housebuilding and never for a reduction or delay in meeting our environmental obligations as we build the homes and communities needed. We are currently delivering net zero carbon affordable homes for a district council, and are starting a fully net zero carbon scheme this year. These schemes include solar panels, air source heat pumps, wastewater heat recovery, and are of timber-frame construction. Our net zero ambitions will see all Thakeham homes we build by 2025 be net zero in lifetime use, and carbon neutral in construction, having already been verified by Planet Mark in 2023 as a carbon-neutral business.”

Orf and Geller did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Candy said he concentrated on refurbishing prime properties, rather than standard new-build homes.

METHODOLOGY: to gather the list of property companies, the Guardian matched the company numbers of donors to industry codes from Companies House. This list was then supplemented by a list of the biggest developers.

The list of individuals was created by taking the names of company officers from Companies House, matching these to the names of individual donors, and supplementing it with the names of any well-known property tycoons. Only those matches with a high degree of confidence were included in the analysis, meaning the total amount donated from individuals with property interests could be higher.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/oct/04/at-least-one-tenth-tory-donations-since-2010-property-industry

UNESCO & CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate change is one of the defining issues of our time, and with over 30 programs in the sciences, education, culture and communication sector, UNESCO is actively contributing to create knowledge, educate and communicate about climate change, and is working to understand the ethical implications for present and future generations. UNESCO has also been at the forefront of exploring and managing the impacts of climate change on World Heritage, and supported specific World Heritage sites on climate change adaptation and mitigation activities.

The promotion of renewable energy production is of great importance, as this technology is among the key solutions for the mitigation of climate change and the promotion of sustainable development. The number of renewable energy installation projects (such as wind farms, biomass production, hydropower and photovoltaic power plants) in all the regions of the World Heritage Convention is currently rising. It however, results in considerable challenges for the conservation and management of World Heritage properties. Impacts can even be expected when such projects are planned in the wider setting of World Heritage properties and their buffer zones. The major issue is the presumed negative impact of the renewable energy infrastructure on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the properties.

The transition to the utilization of renewable energy is an important means to combat climate change. UNESCO World Heritage Centre wishes to take a proactive role in supporting States Parties and all stakeholders in this important step by conveying a message of solidarity and cooperation, but also by ensuring the protection and preservation of the Outstanding Universal Value of World Heritage properties.

In line with the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals 7, 13 and 11.4, the World Heritage Centre believes that protection of the world cultural and natural heritage and renewable energy projects could go hand in hand if these projects are planned, evaluated and implemented in ways that assure the safeguarding of the OUV of World Heritage properties.

In this context, the World Heritage Centre launched an initiative to develop, in collaboration with States Parties in the Europe and North America region of the World Heritage Convention, an effective Guidance Tool, providing methods to avoid and mitigate the possible negative impacts of renewable energy projects on the OUV of the World Heritage properties.

The Guidance Tool (that will be available in English and French) aims to assist States Parties to the World heritage Convention, increase public awareness and effectively contribute to knowledge dissemination. The proposed resource targets an expanding audience, comprising the relevant stakeholders of the States Parties: national, regional and local authorities and World Heritage site managers. Additionally, it aims to assist project initiators (firms and companies in the energy industry) in understanding the interest of World Heritage protection.

Funded by the Netherlands Funds-in-Trust, the project is in its final stage, and the Guidance concerning wind energy installations, is planned to be published in 2022.

Main Objectives of the Project

The planned Guidance Tool will have a special focus on wind turbine projects, and aims to serve as a resource for States Parties to prevent conservation issues in World Heritage properties (both cultural, natural and mixed sites) and identify ways in which renewable energy initiatives and World Heritage protection could go hand in hand. It also aims to assist developing national strategies for the evaluation process of these project proposals in relation to the protection of World Heritage values, and World Heritage site management in general.

LONG TERM SECURITY

In the short term we are reliant on fossil fuels for as long as it takes us to make a truly circular economy, complaint with United Nations SDG 7.