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Contextual
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Dr Simon Slater,
Local and Regional Programme Co-ordinator, Forum for the Future
Simon Slater took
as his introductory theme 'Regenerating our relationship with nature'.
He illustrated this using five topics as examples
1 River and Coastal floodplain development - technology allows
us to 'build where we like' but this would be an unsustainable approach
to the problems of flooding. Simply to defend areas of development in
floodplains is likely to move problems to other areas, both upstream and
down. The creation of new floodplains is a possibility.
2 Upland Development - development on slopes could reduce flood
risks, but would also be a contributor to increased surface run-off.
3 Urban Renaissance - the increasing extremes of climate will bring
opportunities and threats. Improved summers will help re-create active
outdoor public space, but our towns and cities have not been designed
for shade and controlled temperature. To date development and infrastructure
has been based on water resource planning in stable climatic conditions;
this will change.
4 Wheels, Wires and Pipes - whilst Information Communication Technology
(ICT) can reduce dependency on the need for travel, its design must be
secure from disruption through climate change forces. Major infrastructure
corridors and conduits often cut across floodplains and rivers making
them vulnerable. Rural area infrastructure is generally more dispersed
and exposed to disruption.
5 Trees and Forestry - they are significant for their nature conservation
and carbon sink qualities, but offer other characteristics. Tree types
and planting patterns can reduce run-off and erosion, and create shade
and cover in urban as well as rural areas. However, they are likely to
be exposed to greater storm damage, and if in floodplains can act as barriers.
Integration of our
activities would be the most important requirement to effectively meet
the challenges of climate change.
Keith Walton, Rail
Passengers Committee for the West of England
Keith Walton cited
three examples of climate change effects on the rail infrastructure of
the South West.
- There is only
one dual-track main line from London to Devon and Cornwall. There is
only one direct dual-track mainline from Birmingham to Devon. Between
Taunton and Exeter this is the same line. When, as in Autumn 2000, this
sole artery is disrupted by severe flooding, Devon and Cornwall are
cut off by dual-track service from the rest of the country.
- The main, indeed
only, rail artery from Plymouth to the east hugs the coast between Newton
Abbott and Exeter. In places the line is only a few metres above mean
sea-level. At times of high tide, and particularly during storms, this
rail line can be badly affected by sea-spray.
- There is only
one principal line between Birmingham and Cheltenham/Gloucester, although
there are local diversion routes. The principal route is forecast for
substantial traffic growth in both passengers and freight, yet the line
is susceptible to flooding and cancellation of services.
The implications
of these examples was clear in terms of the need for investment in the
South West rail infrastructure to prevent increasing disruption due to
climate change. Without it the Government policy for greater public transport
use would be undermined.
Workshop
Discussion
- Concern expressed
over moving to adaptation at the expense of mitigation. The current
intensity of dependence of the transport sector on the use of fossil
fuels will ensure that carbon dioxide emissions from this sector will
remain high. The introduction of new fuels/types of transport will have
an impact on this, although the transition will be expensive and difficult
to manage. There is a need to tackle the constant growth in the volume
and distance over which 'things' and people are moved. There is also
a need to examine how the demand for transport can be reduced.
- Plans for the
future should involve decommissioning the things done wrong in the past
- possibly even some roads.
- Demand management.
How can the South West meet more of its own needs? Can it localise its
sustainability? Moving goods over shorter distances would create opportunities
for the SW economy.
- Mitigation can
be viewed as long-term as well as short-term. With reference to the
rail industry trains produce emissions and therefore alternative types
of fuel should be investigated. The regions trains are mainly diesel
powered, but this is less vulnerable to climatic extremes than an electricity
source. KEY issue: how to reconcile reduced emissions with a system
that is better placed to cope with adverse weather conditions.
- The decision-making
framework is key. The current system is narrowly defined and divided
between sectors. All decisions need to be made that take into account
the impact of climate change and our contribution to it.
- This country needs
to learn from the experience gained in Europe. Germany for example,
in the 1960's, recognised public transport as asocial necessity (not
a business) and provided a state-of-the-art integrated public transport
system. In this country billions of pound have been 'wasted' on the
privatisation of transport.
- People have a
desire for an integrated transport system. This would require people
to work together with a long-term vision to devise the solutions. Sounds
easy - so why has it not been done? This could be due to conflicting
economic, social and environmental objectives within governments - too
much short-termism.
- In talking about
the language of sustainability it needs to be shown that sustainable
development can assist people's agendas and that it is the only feasible
path for the future.
- Obstacles to change
have already been mentioned - they are the lack of political will as
well as a lack of mass public consciousness about climate change. Any
visions must be translated into practical reality. The media need to
be examined as to how they can be persuaded to generate public interest
in climate change. Do things have to have to get worse before the public
will accept change?
- Is the Town and
Country Planning system delivering what is required related to climate
change? It is based on principles devised before climate change came
to the forefront. Its time horizons do not allow sufficiently long term
thinking to cope with the radical changes needed. It was suggested that
the new Community Plans might provide a better framework for such visionary
planning.
Conclusions
The six main points
drawn from the workshop discussion and presented to the conference at
the plenary session were:
Mitigation
- The move away
from carbon based fuel for transport systems is still a prerequisite.
Notwithstanding all other considerations and the fundamental need for
new adaptive approaches to climate change planning, the need to continue
the overriding policy of reducing the use of carbon fuelled transport
systems must still be at the forefront of any national climate change
strategy. There was no support from any quarter to reduce the pressures
for this change. Indeed, there was more than a little criticism that
Government targets for lowering emissions are still too low; they need
to be tougher if people are to be persuaded to make the shift from private
to public transport.
- Public transport
must be run as a social necessity not a business.
There was overwhelming rejection of the current policy towards public
transport. The sub-division of the rail system and the earlier de-regulation
of the bus industry are held to be responsible for the inability today
of creating an integrated transport system, able to discriminate in
favour of public transport and against private. The watchwords should
be 'co-operation not competition'.
Adaptation
- The land-use
planning system should be seen as part of a wider spatial planning process.
The demand for a more holistic approach to forward planning, to ensure
integration between all the different aspects of climate change planning,
is not best served by the existing land-use based planning system. It
is too restrictive in its coverage and content and is unable to weld
together the many different aspects requiring attention. At a local
level the new Community Plans to be produced by local authorities might
provide a more comprehensive formula.
Barriers
- Education and
awareness raising are the key to making things happen.
There was strong feeling that the public, the politicians and much of
the public and private sectors are still unconvinced of the need to
put sustainability at the forefront of policy and action. Only through
much greater awareness of the implications of climate change can sufficient
public support be achieved to endorse the major shift of policy needed
to address the issues. One gloomy scenario was that 'things would need
to get much worse before they got better' - especially in relation to
moving people from private to public transport.
- Decision-making
is too sectoral.
The need for integrated decision making to ensure effective and efficient
responses to climate change are made unlikely through the sectoral approach
at all levels of government. Much is made of 'joined up government'
but it is not considered to have happened yet.
- There is a
need to introduce VISION into strategic policy planning.
Responding to climate change requires a vision and time horizon beyond
the scope of the current Development Plan system. Although structure
and local plans attempt to work to 15 and 10 year periods, in practice
this is insufficient to allow the adoption of radical and far-reaching
strategies. To address the long-term nature of climate change planning
some formal opportunity for establishing a vision for the future is
required within which the statutory planning system can operate and
work towards. Short-term thinking will not deliver the radical change
in policy and action necessary to meet the climate change consequences.
Philip Johnson
School of Environment
Cheltenham & Gloucester College of Higher Education
March 2001
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