North Devon Green Party

"I am a 62 year old landscape architect, now part-time. My work experience covers the public, private, voluntary and education sectors, both as an employee and self-employed. It has included 13 years working for two county councils and 7 years as a university lecturer. Much of this work has involved the restoration of damaged or disturbed land to agriculture, forestry and nature conservation. As a landscape advisor to many schools and some education authorities, I have prepared guidance on wider educational use of school grounds. I am secretary of our village hall committee, a small-holder, triathlete, father and grandfather."

Michelle Watkin, your Green Party candidate for Barnstaple South

Michelle Watkin, Green Party candidate for Barnstaple South in the 2009 Devon County Council Election

"I have lived in Barnstaple since 2000, when I moved down from London to be near my parents in Roundswell and my brother in Berrynarbor.

In 2006, I launched my own business, Chameleon, specialising in bespoke dressmaking and design, alterations and soft furnishings.

I have been involved with Barnstaple Carnival as a committee member, which I have found enjoyable. I have helped to set up the campaign group against the incinerator and am actively involved. In 2008 I set up the Litchdon Residents Association and Neighbourhood Watch scheme, working with my neighbours to campaign on issues that affect us. This has proven very successful and we have regained a real sense of community spirit. It has been a great way to get to know the people who live in our street and those surrounding us.

I live and work in Litchdon Street with my dog Jess (who is a local lass) and my three cats. Being single, I well understand the hardship that can affect single-person households and have a good understanding of the difficulties faced by many in our local communities.

My interests include local issues, gardening and walking my dog Jess in this fantastic town, in this beautiful corner of England.

I am fully committed to identifying the issues that affect our town, such as affordable housing, waste reduction, transport and mobility and the pressing need to build a sustainable local economy, which can support local residents and businesses alike. I feel it is important for me to work to give something back to the people of North Devon, who have been so very welcoming and supportive and to all those who help to make this such a wonderful place to live. "

Mike Harrison, your Green Party candidate for Combe Martin Rural

Mike walks or cycles as much as he can as the real way to appreciate landscape. His main activity is making maps, exploring all of North Devon. He is Cyclist Touring Club campaigner for the area and works for bus and train improvements. His concerns about environmental issues and energy fragility led him to assemble evidence in support of Fullabrook. He actively helps maintain our wonderful coastal landscapes and footpaths.

A strong believer in supporting local, he grows all his own vegetables and only uses small shops. Mike lives in Croyde in the house his great-grandmother bought in 1901.

Green Party Lead Euro-candidate Ricky Knight was interviewed by "Fat" and "Dany" on "The Big Cigarette", Friday Feb 6th 2009

Ricky Knight Interview

Part 1: Climate Change and Green Politics

News

Incinerator not the greenest option for Barnstaple

Local Green Party Cllr Ricky Knight, their Parliamentary Candidate for North Devon and lead SW Candidate for the European Elections next June stated that he was astonished and dismayed by the Council’s plans for a £40m Incinerator in Barnstaple.

Cllr Knight said “Incineration of rubbish will do nothing to encourage householders to reduce their domestic waste, to recycle and reuse and to compost. On the contrary, with the Council locked into a private contract over decades, it will be obliged to guarantee the regular delivery of large amounts of waste to keep the incinerator burning and risk having to pay compensation to the private operator if there is a shortfall.”

“A cleaner, greener solution would be a ‘Mechanical and Biological Treatment plant’ with Anaerobic Digestion, or even a Pyroliser or a Gasifier. Overall we need a strategy to achieve ‘zero waste’, systematically separating and recycling domestic and business waste, incentivising collection, returning all excess packaging to point of dispatch and enforcing ‘polluter pays’ legislation.”

Greens warn against irresponsible attitude to climate change

Severe weather warnings throughout the area and 5,000 homes without electricity in Devon and Cornwall are showing voters across the South West the kind of conditions that will only get worse in the near future.

‘The effects of climate change are becoming more and more visible and the evidence is simply incontrovertible,’ said Ricky Knight, lead Green candidate for the South West 2009 European Elections and Parliamentary Candidate for North Devon. ‘We can expect extreme weather conditions at any time of the year with the seasons being increasingly out of kilter. Meanwhile, all the Government is doing is re-arranging the furniture, talking the talk but steadfastly refusing to grasp the nettle of legislative change.

‘We hope that the new government climate change committee with its potential powers to take court action against MPs who do not meet emissions targets will actually live up to expectations. Unfortunately, judging from past experience, I will not be holding my breath.

‘The kind of weather we are experiencing at the moment is only set to worsen over the coming decades, and it is vitally important that sound environmental legislation is adopted to combat the massive damage that climate change will cause, particularly in areas like the South West, where so much of our economy is centred around low-lying, vulnerable coastal areas.’

Euro candidate Ricky Knight welcomes European Commission decision to call time on battery cages

The European Commission’s decision to reject calls to delay a ban on conventional battery cages for laying hens due to come into force in 2012 has been applauded by South West Green’s lead candidate in the European elections.

Cllr Ricky Knight, the South West Greens’ lead candidate in the European elections, has already called for the region to aim towards achieving self-reliance for healthy, local, organic food.

He called today’s statement “a victory for animal welfare campaigners and a testament to the strength of consumer power.

”In the face of industry opposition to the ban Cllr Knight’s Green Party colleague, South East MEP Caroline Lucas, has repeatedly called on Commission officials to press for a tightening rather than a weakening of animal welfare standards.

Cllr Knight said: “As the pressing issue of animal welfare in our poultry farms comes under the spotlight from celebrity chefs promoting the benefits of ethical farming, the statement by the European Commission confirms that public opinion can drive legislative change.”

The Commission's own surveys indicate that shoppers are prepared to change their buying habits to ensure better treatment of farm animals.

The Commission found that customers would "pay more for eggs from a system that is animal welfare friendly" and that they would be "willing to change their usual place of shopping" to buy goods which were produced with animal welfare in mind.

As such, the egg industry's efforts to delay progress seem unjustified.

“Greed and a resistance to change had led the industry and some EU member states to fight for a postponement of the ban, but this report rejects their calls, with the Commission prioritising scientific and economic research, as well as the wishes of EU citizens, over the powerful industry lobby.

“In this important decision on conventional battery cages, the Commission has given a clear signal that consumer feeling matters, and thus that the cruel and inhumane cages will be abolished by 2012, as was previously agreed under the terms of the EU Laying Hens Directive (adopted in 1999), in line with an EC directive on minimum standards for laying hens.

"However, this ban is long overdue and 2012 is still too far away.

Furthermore, it will still allow so-called "enriched cages” to be used, and therefore our aim must be a total ban on cages for laying hens as soon as possible.”

Cllr Knight continued: “The confinement of egg-laying hens in battery cages is among the most inhumane practices in factory farming. But even then, this isn’t just a case of preventing animal cruelty - increasing evidence suggests that intensive poultry farming practices play a key part in the spread of disease, such as avian influenza.

“Numerous reports have identified that the conditions in industrialised indoor poultry farms are perfect breeding grounds for disease.

“Research into avian flu funded by the Commission has so far neglected the role of trade and farming in recent outbreaks, so while the 2012 ban is a crucial step in the right direction, the Commission must also recognise the link between industry practices and disease if we are to maintain a high standard of animal and human welfare.”

Cllr Knight added that free range, high quality production was a more suitable method of farming for local producers in the south west but stressed the important of providing support and access to markets for independent, small farmers across the region.

Greens opposed to petrol protests - a fall in fuel prices would lead to a rise in carbon emissions

Fuel protests are taking place around the country this weekend at the "high" cost of petrol but a fall in fuel prices would lead to a rise in carbon emissions, warns South West Green Party.

The reality is that the cost of motoring has declined under Labour, and the Green Party believes that the price of fuel should reflect all of its environmental costs.

Rebecca Lush Blum, of the Campaign for Better Transport, has said: "High prices are down to oil scarcity, wars in oil-producing countries, global inflation and oil company profits, not high taxation.

The real cost of motoring has declined since 1997, while public transport fares have rocketed. Tax as a percentage of the fuel price has not been this low since 1993."

Cllr Ricky Knight, the South West Green Party’s European elections lead candidate, said: "We can't keep using the car for short trips to the shops and expect carbon emissions to drop.

“If we have cheaper petrol, people will drive more and emit more carbon.”

“Instead, we need government support for EU-wide targets on car emissions, as well as investment in a range of sustainable public transport options."

Green Knight charges into European elections with a call to protect the region's food producers

Announcing selection of their lead candidate for the 2009 European Election, South West Greens have called for greater protection of local communities, in particular, food producers against the effects of globalisation.

Elected by Green Party members across the South West, Cllr Ricky Knight, a teacher living in Barnstaple, will lead the party’s team in the European elections which take place in spring 2009.

"I am honoured to have the opportunity to represent the South West in Europe. We will have a complete and positive policy manifesto on Europe to put to the electorate,” said Ricky.

“I am particularly concerned to protect the South West's food producers against cheap imports, bring agricultural policies back under UK control, and aim to achieve self-reliance for healthy, local, organic food in the South West.

“These are issues where we can make a real difference as Greens in Europe," added Ricky, who is a modern languages teacher at Pilton Specialist Language College in Barnstaple and has served as Green Party Councillor on the town council since 2003.

Ricky, 58, entered local politics after the invasion of Iraq, having been active with CND and Greenpeace since his student days.

He said: “This is such an exciting opportunity for me after nearly three decades of political activism. It represents the culmination of all I have worked towards since joining the Green Party in 1984.

“The European Parliament is one of the few places where responsible environmental and sustainable policies can be formulated and put into place. I have great faith in its ability to represent the real concerns of the electorate, despite the deep-seated belief that this is a centralised organisation with grave faults in need of serious reform.

Charlie Graham, the area co-ordinator for Green Party South West, said: "The proportional European Elections are a real opportunity for the electorate because every vote will count and matter.

“The Green Party is the only choice people have for a fair and just response to the social, economic and environmental challenges that combating climate change will require.

“With a strong team in place, we are going to campaign hard to show we are the only party to be trusted to defend the interests and importance of our local communities within Europe and make responding effectively to the challenge of climate change the focal point of these elections.

In 2004 the Greens received 7.3% of the vote in a 38% turnout and the Green’s lead candidate David Taylor just missed being elected.

Commenting today on Ricky's selection, David said: "I am delighted that Ricky has been chosen to succeed me and I will be playing an active part in the campaign supporting him.

"With expansion of the EU and increasing concern over our environment, the interest in real Green solutions has never been higher. Greens have comprehensive policies for tackling climate change, and we need more Green MEPs to drive a real change in priorities."

Ricky added: "Our issues are now at the top of every serious politician's agenda, but we are the only party that has thought through the complete implications of building a successful, sustainable future for our children and grandchildren.

“It is essential that we elect Green voices to the European level where we need to work with our neighbours to solve our common problems – I am really looking forward to the challenges ahead, and to serving the people of the region."

CULLING BADGERS 'COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE'

Green Party Principal Speaker Caroline Lucas today criticised the the government's Chief Scientific Advisor's recommendation that culls of badgers should be carried out to control the TB epidemic in cattle.

Sir David King said yesterday that culling badgers was the 'best option available at the moment to reduce the reservoir of infection in wildlife'. His recommendation is in stark contrast to the views of the Independent Scientific Group report into the matter - a near 10- year government study of badger-culling which found that culling could 'make no meaningful contribution.' (1)

Dr Lucas, a former vice-president of the EU’s committee of inquiry into the UK’s foot and mouth disease outbreak in 2001, said:

“Culling badgers to control the spread of TB in cattle appears to be completely counter-productive.

“A culling-based TB strategy in South-West England led to an increase in cases amongst cattle, and to cases developing in areas that had previously been free of the disease.”

“We need a rational, evidence-based policy for halting the spread of bovine TB, 80 per cent of which is caused by cattle-to-cattle infection and has nothing whatsoever to do with badgers. In the remaining cases, culling badgers could be increasing the range of neighbouring populations, causing the disease to spread more widely.”

“Badger culling is a distraction – and the uncomfortable truth is that bovine TB is more likely to be spread between cattle kept in crowded quarters. The answer is more likely to lie in improving animal welfare standards.”

North Devon Green Party spokesperson Cllr Ricky Knight this morning welcomed the decision from Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks to approve Devon's largest wind farm at Fullabrook Down.

Ricky Knight said "this comes as a hugely gratifying endorsement of all the efforts we have made to champion wind-power in North Devon and is a tremendous relief to all those who are determined to address the irresponsibly unsustainable way in which we source our energy from finite fossil fuels. "

He continued, "the Public Inquiry had been a very difficult, time-consuming and complicated process for us but we did our homework, took on the combined weight of the DCC and the NDDC with their highly-paid legal representation, plus the various pressure groups such as the Ramblers and CAWT, such that our solid ground-work and perseverance paid off. We knew we had the tacit support of the vast majority of the local population but never underestimated the vehemence and tenacity of the opponents of the scheme."

When fully operational the 22 turbine scheme will generate enough clean electricity to meet the average annual needs of 30,000 domestic consumers – equivalent to over 80% of domestic electricity consumption or some 30% of total energy electricity consumption in North Devon. It will also save almost 65,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. (source: berr.gov.uk)

Ricky Knight added, "it is a strange sensation to have our arguments vindicated by the Government. I know what it’s like to fight for something, only to be ignored, beaten or out-voted. I can therefore easily imagine the dismay in the opposition camp. I can only extend the hope that they can come to terms with it and make the most of what will be a really significant financial investment into the community around Fullabrook. I feel confident that, as this project develops, most of their fears will be allayed. I am elated – this is a massive boost for all those of us who believe that renewable energy is the only way to prevent nuclear power from making a disastrous comeback."

Hinkley, Oldbury and Berkeley listed for new reactors

Three West Country sites have been favoured for new nuclear reactors in a newly revealed report. The DTI commissioned report was slipped out amongst the hundreds of pages published on 23rd May around the issue of a nuclear revival.

Hinkley Point, less than 40 miles from Barnstaple, is at the top of the list showing in order of preference, the industry's favoured sites for building the nuclear plants proposed by the Government in its Energy White Paper. Oldbury is eleventh down the list and Berkeley, also in Gloucershire, is thirteenth.

It was always expected that existing sites would receive preferential attention as the infrastrucure may already exist, together with an assumption that local populations would acquiesce to the plans. Hinkley has always been considered a top candidate site. The epicentre of UK electricity consumption is Slough to the west of London. Three existing major UK sites are on coasts within 150 miles of Slough but Sizewell has a plant due to continue operating till 2025 and Dungeness in Kent has an erosion problem with the beach alongside the existing reactors. Hinkley B is expected to cease operating in 2011.

Jim Duffy, spokesman for Stop Hinkley and Shut Oldbury campaigns said: "The West country could again become saturated with nuclear power stations and with old relics continuing to be decommissioned for decades we'll have a high concentration of nuclear plant. On the other hand because of safety hazards at Hinkley and Oldbury, there has been no nuclear electricity produced in the West country for six months and the lights didn't go out despite the Government's scaremongering predictions. Electricity production exceeds demand by 17 percent while UK nuclear produces 18 percent. We can develop renewable energy like the Hinkley wind-farm and Severn tidal barrages to produce our share of electricity, coupled with energy conservation methods. Polls have shown locally and nationally that nuclear is less popular."

North Devon could lead the world with offshore wind power

The North Devon Green Party welcomes plans to build the world's largest offshore wind farm off the coast of North Devon, subject to favourable studies on the potential environmental impact of the project. If it goes ahead, the £3bn Atlantic Array scheme will have 350 turbines and generate enough clean energy to power more than 1,000,000 homes, which could also create hundreds of long-term jobs. (1)

Green Party Councillor and renewables campaigner Jon Hooper said "We are very excited by the potential of this scheme for reducing the UK's carbon dioxide emmissions from fossil fuel power stations. We look forward to seeing a comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment and hope the project gets underway soon, so it can be operational before 2020. Many of the UK's nuclear power stations are due to be shut down by that time, and we will be desperately in need of new clean energy schemes such as this wind farm to help 'keep the lights on'.

"In the meantime it is vital that we continue to support onshore wind farms such as those proposed for Fullabrook and Batsworthy, which could be up and running and saving CO2 emmissions within the next two years, long before the Atlantic Array has got through the planning system and the 8-10 year construction period has been completed. Also, offshore wind farms won't count towards Devon's target of 151Mw of onshore renewable energy by 2010. For the UK's international Climate Change negotiations to succeed we need to demonstrate that we are cutting our own country's emissions, but embarrassingly UK CO2 emissions are still increasing year on year. We need to turn this around soon, to secure firm international committments and avoid dangerous Climate Change 'tipping points'."

The news comes less than a month after it was revealed the South West might not meet its government-set 2010 renewable electricity target of nearly 600 megawatts of green electricity generating capacity. Local Lib-Dem and Conservative councils in the region have recently been criticised for rejecting too many wind turbine plans. (2)

Green Party Principal Speaker Siân Berry said: "Investing in renewables isn't just about being environmentally friendly, they can also help foster employment and regeneration opportunities across the country.

"Here in the UK, we are extremely fortunate in having potentially the largest offshore wind resource in the world, with relatively shallow waters and strong winds extending out into the seas around us.

"It has been estimated that we have over 33% of the total European offshore wind resource, yet we lag far behind countries like Germany and Denmark when it comes to developing renewable energy. Four in ten of the world's wind turbines are now made in Denmark, where tens of thousands of new jobs have been created." (3)

"Real support and investment in this cutting-edge industry could change the face of UK energy generation forever and bring many other benefits."

Torridge celebrates Green election successes in Northam, Bideford, Appledore and Torrington

Cllr Miranda Cox achieved a fantastic breakthrough in Northam ward, winning a seat on the District Council as well as the Town Council. Cllr Peter Hames was also elected to Northam Town Council in Appledore ward.

In Bideford North, Cllr Peter Christie came top of the poll again in the District election with 740 votes, and in the Town election with 856 votes.

With two District Councillors, the Greens are now an official "group" on Torridge District Council. Green District candidates also achieved respectable votes in Hartland & Bradworthy, Appledore and Torrington.

In Torrington Cllr Cathrine Simmons was re-elected to the Town council and joined by Cllr Jon Hooper, achieving another green group of two.

Your Green Candidates for the local elections May 3rd 2007

Devon's highest Green vote this year in Northam

November's Northam by-election for Torridge District Council resulted in a close contest between the Conservatives and the Greens. With 43% (414 votes), Green candidate Cllr Miranda Cox narrowly lost the seat to the Conservative candidate Samuel Robinson with 57% (556 votes). There was a turnout of 21.6%.

Cllr Miranda Cox said "I would like to thank everyone who voted for me and say how much I enjoyed meeting people when out canvassing and appreciated the cups of tea (no cafe in Northam) and use of bathroom facilities! (no toilets in Northam)"

Looking ahead to the May 2007 elections Miranda predicted "We will gain more seats as voters realise how important climate change and environmental concerns are for the well being of all of us, how we can have good living standards and conserve resources better and how the other political parties say much but do little for our beautiful world. "

"I wish our new district councillor well and hope that he is as green as he says he is. As a member of the Woodland Trust and RSPB I expect to see him preventing development in the countryside and protecting trees and hedges in new developments."

The North Devon Green Party's Opening Statement to the Fullabrook Wind Farm Public Inquiry, 28th Nov 2006

"This wind farm inquiry takes place against a backdrop of unprecedented and growing levels of public and political concern about Climate Change.

"In a month where the Stern Review concluded that “There is still time to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, if we take strong action now.”

"In a week where extremes of localised weather have flooded roads and homes across Devon.

"In a month where newspaper billboards in North Devon have celebrated the shortlisting of a local Green politician for a regional renewable energy award.

"In a month where twenty-five thousand people marched on Trafalgar square to demand action on Climate Change.

"In a year where an international Climate Stabilization Conference was held in Exeter.

"In a month where the Government announced its intention to speed up the planning process for wind farms and other energy projects.

"In a year where the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research concluded that the UK needs to cut emissions by 70% within the next twenty-five years.

"In a month where for the first time the Queen’s speech included a Climate Change Bill.

"The North Devon Green Party are proud to be here as the only political party formally represented at this Inquiry.

"We are saddened to find we are the only body that has actively pursued a strategy to discover the true levels of support and opposition in the local communities for this application.

"We believe we are the only Political Party to have engaged the input of all its local members before democratically arriving at a decision to support this proposal.

"We have attended national, regional and local conferences and meetings to inform our policies and standpoints on renewable energy technologies.

"Everything we have done has been on a voluntary basis - we have been subsidised by no-one, least of all the taxpayer.

"We believe in thinking globally about the consequences of Climate change and acting locally to cut our community’s emissions.

"We believe we have a strong responsibility to safeguard the planet for future generations – a principle which is the essence of sustainability – a word which is frequently used in policy documents yet rarely seen in practice.

"We worry that the prospect of new Nuclear Power stations is made ever more likely by the local planning authorities’ infamously poor approval rate for renewable energy schemes here in Devon.

"We maintain that in the interests of safeguarding our energy supplies it is vital to support renewable energy schemes such as the Fullabrook wind farm.

"We further maintain that the trumpeted Renewable Energy Action Plan for North Devon seriously underestimates the scale of the local response needed to offset the effects of Climate Change in the South West and that, indeed, North Devon ought to aspire to producing far more than it's professed "fair share" of the proposed 151MW of renewable energy by 2010.

DOs and DON’Ts for mind changers

(adapted from an article and report on communication by the Green Engage project)

“If everyone in the UK washed their laundry just ten degrees cooler, we’d need one less 250MW power station !!”

A compelling message? Quite the opposite, says Steve Hounsham, author of Green-Engage’s report “Painting the Town Green”. To read his ruthless five point demolition of that well-intended message visit: http://www.greenfutures.org.uk/features/default.asp?id=2470

Points to consider:

The Green-Engage project is a joint effort by a group of environmental organisations to create a blueprint for better communication. They want to be better at getting people to adopt more environmentally friendly behaviour. Hence Hounsham’s focus on getting the psychology right.

• People need to identify close-to-home personal benefits before there is any thought of altruism.

• Even a top salesman finds sacrifice a hard sell. Overconsumption of resources may cause many of our problems, but slagging off consumerism won’t win many friends outside those already converted.

• Climate change comes within people’s ‘sphere of concern’ but not within their perceived ‘sphere of influence’. People think they can’t do anything about it. Make it easy for personal action.

• Lifestyle decisions aren’t made by rational consideration of the facts, but by emotions, habits, fashions, personal values, peer pressure and other intangibles. Getting people to change depends more on connecting with the heart than the head.

• We’ve misunderstood what consumer goods actually mean to people, ignoring their connections with personal identity, esteem and belonging. The car, perhaps the prime example, is less about transport and more about a sense of freedom, convenience and personal identity.

Getting the message right:

Create agency – the ability for people to understand a problem, decide to act, see the effect, and feel recognised for having done the right thing.

Acknowledge that every little counts. A ‘green on balance’ framework for personal living helps avoid the reaction; ‘I can’t do everything, so I’ll do nothing’.

Develop ‘brands’ – packages of behaviours – that different kinds of people will identify with. ‘Ethical living’ will appeal to some, but a ‘smart living’ tag is attractive to others. Then again other types may respond to a ‘safe living’ brand.

Stop pretending environment is the only issue that should matter to people. Legitimise and broaden the appeal of green behaviours by wrapping up environment with the other four main families of visionary causes: prosperity, justice, safety & wellbeing.

Introduce ‘starter kit’ advice, to get people engaged on easy actions with personal benefits that fit into existing routines. A wildlife garden, or action on litter, may be an easier start than changing how you travel.

Aim to create bandwagon environmentalism with a sense of joining in, or missing out if you don’t.

Don’t assume that everyone shares the same thirst for scary details of environment threats. Scare stories frighten people away – provide reassurance, we CAN work it out.

Don’t present hopelessly unobtainable goals. Focus on the positives, optimism and human ingenuity.

Don’t use unfamiliar language, specialised terms and jargon – it can switch people off from the message.

Don’t rely on exhortation and a pedestal ‘I know best’ attitude. Real dialogue is a shared journey on equal terms where both sides can learn.

Don’t rely on a head-focused approach (information & rational argument). Heart-focused messages can touch emotions, resonate, inspire and create desire.

Steve Hounsham is co-ordinator of Green-Engage and communications manager at Transport 2000.

Ankelohe and beyond: communicating climate change

A new way of framing the climate-change issue that makes sense in people's daily lives is needed in order to translate passive awareness into active concern, says Simon Retallack.

More newsprint, broadcast time and web space is being devoted to the issue of climate change than ever before, so it would not be a surprise if journalists were to pat themselves on the back for their efforts. Far from it. On 18-21 May 2006 at a country retreat in northern Germany, journalists and writers from Britain, Germany and the United States will be meeting to discuss where they are going wrong and how they can do better.

Writers taking part in the "Ankelohe Conversations" on the twin problems of climate change and the oil endgame will be asking themselves why – despite all the coverage they are now giving these issues – the public is doing so little to take action.

It would be unfair to say that the higher profile climate and energy issues are receiving has had no impact. An opinion poll survey of thirty countries (including the United States) published in April 2006 found that a large majority of people believe that climate change is a serious problem. But any change in attitudes is having little impact on behaviour.

That situation will need to be reversed. Using fossil fuels more efficiently and deploying alternative sources of energy is essential if we are to avoid the worst impacts of climate change and rising oil prices. Some of the changes necessary may in theory be achieved entirely by governments through regulation. But others will require individuals to choose to behave differently and allow or encourage politicians to introduce policies to reduce our carbon emissions rather than punish them for trying at the polls.

The role of the public is clearly critical and the adoption of effective policies for removing barriers and creating incentives for people to change their behaviour is imperative. So too, however, is the deployment of effective communications. And here we may be getting it wrong.

Research conducted in the United States as part of the Climate Message Project led by the FrameWorks Institute discovered that some of the ways in which climate change is commonly being reported is actually having a counterproductive effect – by immobilizing people.

The FrameWorks Institute conducted a linguistic analysis of elite discourse on climate change in media coverage as well as of environmental groups' own communications on the issue, followed by one-on-one interviews and focus groups with members of the public and a national poll.

What the FrameWorks Institute found was startling. It found that the more people are bombarded with words or images of devastating, quasi-Biblical effects of global warming, the more likely they are to tune out and switch instead into "adaptationist" mode, focusing on protecting themselves and their families, such as by buying large vehicles to secure their safety.

FrameWorks found that depicting global warming as being about "scary weather" evokes the weather "frame" which sets up a highly pernicious set of reactions, as weather is something we react to and is outside human control. We do not prevent or change it, we prepare for it, adjust to it or move away from it. Also, focusing on the long timelines and scale of global warming further encourages people to adapt, encouraging people to think "it won't happen in my lifetime" and "there's nothing an individual can do".

As importantly, the FrameWorks Institute found that stressing the large scale of global warming and then telling people they can solve it through small actions like changing a light-bulb evokes a disconnect that undermines credibility and encourages people to think that action is meaningless. The common practice of throwing solutions in at the end of a discussion fails to signal to people that this is a problem that could be solved at all.

These findings were significant because they applied to modes of communication that represented the norm in terms of US news coverage and environmental groups' own communications on the issue. They showed that a typical global warming news story – outlining the scientific proof, stressing the severe consequences of inaction and urging immediate steps – was causing people to think that preventive action was futile.

Developing more effective ways of communicating on these issues is a huge challenge. Every country is different and will require its own approach. The FrameWorks institute developed proposals for use by US climate communicators in the first few years of the Bush-Cheney administration using a distinctive approach – the strategic frame analysis.

According to this approach, how an issue is "framed" – what words, metaphors, stories and images are used to communicate about it – will determine what frames are triggered, which deeply held worldviews, widely held assumptions or cultural models it will be judged against, and accepted or rejected accordingly. If the facts don't fit the frames that are triggered, it's the facts that are rejected not the frame.

Based on that understanding, it can be decided whether a cause is best served by repeating or breaking dominant frames of discourse, or reframing an issue using different concepts, language and images, to evoke a different way of thinking, facilitating alternative choices.

Applying this approach to communications on climate change in the United States, the FrameWorks Institute drew several conclusions:

FrameWorks also recommended using a simplifying model, analogy or metaphor to help the public understand how global warming works – a "conceptual hook" to make sense of information about the issue. Instead of the "greenhouse-gas effect", which was found did not perform for most people, FrameWorks recommended talking about the "CO2 blanket" or "heat-trap" to set up appropriate reasoning. This would help, it argued, to refocus communications towards establishing the man-made causes of the problem and the solutions that already exist to address it, suggesting that humans can and should act to prevent the problem now.

The need to evoke the existence and effectiveness of solutions upfront, the FrameWorks research stressed, was paramount. And if the consequences of climate change are cited, the analysis concluded they should not appear extreme in size or scale, should put humans at the centre, made to fit with personal experience and involve shorter timelines – twenty years not 200.

Research will be published later in 2006 by the Institute for Public Policy Research on how climate change can better be communicated in Britain. Initial findings confirm many aspects of the FrameWorks Institute's analysis of the problem, if not all their recommended solutions.

Wherever we are in the world, the way we communicate about climate change deserves far greater attention and care. As levels of public concern about our climate and energy problems rise, it is urgent that we communicate about them in a way that helps people feel motivated and empowered to act.

North Devon Greens contribute to future energy plans

The Government has received more than 2000 responses to their twelve-week public consultation on how best to shape Britain's energy future. The North Devon Green Party's response calls for:

The full North Devon Green Party response can be downloaded here: Energy Review response (PDF, 92Kb)

Green Party Principal Speaker, Keith Taylor, addressing the audience last Wednesday at Pilton College, Barnstaple, on the perils of Nuclear Power, Keith was in Barnstaple as part of his national UK tour.

Barnstaple listens to leading Green Politician

Green Party principal speaker, Keith Taylor, visited Barnstaple in April on his national tour of England to present his “Dirty, Dangerous and Expensive” talk on Nuclear Power and Renewables. On the same evening as another significant talk on Climate Change was taking place in the town, a sizeable audience listened with interest as Keith introduced his talk by referring to the pressing urgency and relevance of this topic, with increasing public anxiety about Climate Change and Global Warming and the depleting stocks and increasing price of oil, gas and coal.

The Government review on Energy has offered the Nuclear Power industry a life-line to re-enter the arena as a viable option in the debate with renewables, Keith explained. His Powerpoint presentation systematically dismantled all the arguments that might favour a new generation of nuclear power stations, not just in terms of the overriding scepticism of the public but moreover, in refuting any pretence that nuclear power was carbon neutral and as such the only way to provide power sustainably.

Keith pointed out that the nuclear industry has been bailed out by the public purse to the tune of billions and that any new generation of reactors would be astronomically expensive – “too expensive to monitor” – with decommissioning and the future safeguarding of waste adding unaccountable sums into the distant future. But, as we approach the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, by far the most irrefutable and heartfelt argument against nuclear power was safety, the fact that it would be virtually impossible to safeguard against nuclear accidents or preventing a potential terrorist attack.

Leaving nuclear power behind, Keith also gave a very positive message: "Tackling the threat to our future posed by climate change could, with the right political will, courage and imagination, be turned into an opportunity. We could, with a combination of a low-carbon innovation strategies and an aggressive expansion of energy efficiency, energy reduction and renewables, make the UK a leader in low-carbon technologies, with the resultant employment and regeneration pay-offs."

Cllr Keith Taylor became one of the Green Party's Principal Speakers in August 2004. He was the general election candidate for Brighton Pavilion in 2005, achieving 22 per cent - the Green Party's highest-ever vote in a Westminster election. He is a former local businessman who took to community activism opposing an inappropriate local development before joining the Green Party and becoming a councillor.

Greens defend North Devon's Tarka Line

The North Devon Green Party joins the chorus of dismay that greeted the publication of the First Great Western draft timetable for the Exmouth to Barnstaple line, echoing and amplifying the sentiments of, among others, the North Devon Rail Users Group.

Spokesperson, Cllr Ricky Knight, said “ It seems that North Devonians must perennially take up the cause of protecting and supporting this invaluable link to and from Exeter. No sooner do we relax our guard and the axe looms again. Why is this service so vulnerable to the whims of private franchisees? Rural services can never be made truly competitive in comparison to the lucrative urban commuter services – there are far fewer potential passengers and greater distances from home to nearest station. Rural transport is a special case and needs unique considerations. It is high time that all aspects of the railway system be brought back into public ownership.”

The North Devon Green Party is particularly concerned about the reduction in the number of daily trains from 12 to 11; by the fact that hardly any of the proposed services travel through from St David’s to Exeter Central; that the majority of intermediate stations will only be serviced once a day; and by the fact that the opportunity to timetable a train that will get passengers to Exeter comfortably before 9.00 a.m. has been lost once again.

Cllr Ricky Knight said “The Tarka Line is one of the most beautiful short rail journeys in England. It is also very popular. Now is not the time for cut-backs. With appropriate investment, with a regular and fairly priced service based upon the concept of a Community Rail Link, interlaced with networked bus routes, this line could go from strength to strength. Every few years, when the franchise comes up for grabs, private companies are bound to cream off the lucrative routes, while the rural ones are marginalised and threatened with closure. Now we can only dream of a commuter line from Bideford to Ilfracombe, via Fremington Quay and Braunton, yet this is what we could have had now, if we had organised ourselves to reject the Beecham cuts back in the 60’s.”

It is Green Party policy to re-nationalise the national railway system but to keep it at arm’s length from Government interference. All Train Operating companies would be returned to the public sector, along with the rolling stock companies, while the track renewal companies would join track maintenance and signalling in an integrated National Rail system. The money needed to transform our railways into a 21st century key transport facility to stand alongside other european examples, would be taken from the massive multi-billion pound road building budget.

Cllr Knight affirmed "The railways are an essential part of a sustainable transport policy, one that gives priority to solutions that help us combat the threats of climate change, CO2 emissions and the implications of Peak Oil. We have to be encouraged, coaxed, cajoled, to leave our cars at home – and get onto the train. Over 100 individuals in one train can get into the centre of Exeter in just over an hour for just over a tenner for a return ticket. It’s a no-brainer – no traffic queues, no parking hassles. The way to safeguard this service is to holler loud – now! – and use it!”

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