Fart Gags and/or Climate Justice Analysis

On a day when news reaches us of a shambolic and literally unendurable Climate Camp meeting in Oxford, and on a day when the Financial Times reports that the price of carbon in the EUETS is at a record low, with predictable negative consequences for investment in low-carbon technology, it's hard to find Reasons to be Cheerful.

Sure, there's the inevitable fart gags of Marc Roberts. But for once he is trumped (ho ho) in the RtbC stakes.

Danny Chivers [disclaimer- I know him a little] has written a very clear and actually amusing (no, really) summary of what is likely to be on the table at Copenhagen. More up to the minute than my look last June or so...

Chivers' piece is in the New Internationalist.

Email Bulletin 3 out now

In the weeks between MCFlys, we publish an email bulletin.

We've started posting it on the website too. Here's a link to the latest bulletin.

And here it is as a blog post-

Dear all,

welcome to the third “in-between” email bulletin of Manchester Climate Fortnightly. These will be sent out on the weeks in-between issues of Manchester Climate Fortnightly. The next MCFly, issue 17, will be published Sunday February 10.

Last chance to win £30 for your 600 words on climate change!
You have until Friday 6^th February to enter the “Climate Change: What Do We Do Now?” short essay competition, on the question “What are the current problems/future opportunities for climate campaigners in Greater Manchester”
http://www.manchesterclimateforum.org.uk/whatdowedonow.html

LOCAL NEWS

1) On Tuesday 3^rd February Manchester City Council's Oversight and Scrutiny Committee for Neighbourhood Services meets on Tuesday afternoon, for one of its scheduled meetings.
The committee is made up of Labour and Lib Dem councillors whose job it is to, erm, have oversight and do scrutiny on what the Executive is up to. (Roughly comparable to Select Committees in the Westminster System)
Why are we telling you this? Well, it's an opportunity for the “Call to Action” report that has featured in the last two MCFlys to be examined in more depth. We will blog about it!

2) The third bulletin of the Manchester Climate Change Agency, which will open its doors late summer, has been published. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be up on their website yet, http://www.manchester-enterprises.com/news/ManCCAB2.html
So you'll have to make do with a MCFly gloss
http://manchesterclimatefortnightly.blogspot.com/2009/01/manchester-climate-change-agency-news.html
The MCCA has awarded a £25,000 tender to a consultancy to investigate potential governance structures, with the work to be completed by mid March. MCFly will tell you more as soon as we get info.

3) Manchester Climate Fortnightly is blogging on each of the City Council's proposed “Catalytic Actions”, and encourages you to add your comments. Think of it as a DIY consultation, since the Council seems very very resistant to the idea of keeping its promise to consult with the people of Manchester about its Climate plans.

Action 1- World-leading neighbourhood regeneration
http://manchesterclimatefortnightly.blogspot.com/2009/01/catalytic-action-1-world-class.html

Action 2- Retrofitting Manchester's Civic Heritage
http://manchesterclimatefortnightly.blogspot.com/2009/01/catalytic-action-2-retrofitting.html

Action 3- Business Alliance for Climate Change
http://manchesterclimatefortnightly.blogspot.com/2009/01/catalytic-action-3-business-alliance.html

Action 4- Low Carbon Energy
http://manchesterclimatefortnightly.blogspot.com/2009/01/catalytic-action-4-low-carbon-energy.html

Action 5- Low Carbon Communities
http://manchesterclimatefortnightly.blogspot.com/2009/02/catalytic-action-5-low-carbon.html

4) Manchester Climate Fortnightly has learnt that the Call to Action cost at least 650 a page.

Beyond Belief Monday 26 Jan blog posting.
“MCFly can exclusively reveal that Manchester City Council paid the London-based consultancy 'Beyond Green' a whopping ₤28,000 plus VAT and expenses for the 50-page Call to Action report, published last week. With VAT, this brings the total to ₤32,900 and we have no idea how much this 'eco-consultancy' has claimed for expenses- the Council's information did not include these figures. All in all this means that the council has paid- hopefully not from the ₤1 million Carbon Reduction Innovation and Investment Fund- over ₤650 per page....”
http://manchesterclimatefortnightly.blogspot.com/2009/01/beyond-belief.html

UPCOMING LOCAL EVENTS

Tues Feb 3 8pm Manchester Climate Action social, at Sandbar, Grosvenor St www.manchesterclimateaction.org.uk

Thurs Feb 5 7pm Rubbish Revamped –workshop to turn junk into attractive items. rubbishrevamped.wordpress.com

Tues Feb 10 from 7.30pm

Cllr Richard Cowell, Executive Member for the Environment and Dr Victoria Johnson of the New Economics Foundation will be discussing the City Council's "Call to Action" and the recent climate negotiations in Poland.
Friends Meeting House, 6 Mount St
www.manchesterclimateforum.org.uk

Catalytic Action 5: Low Carbon Communities

The Executive of Manchester City Council- in effect the “Cabinet” of the 96 seat elected body, has recently accepted a report called the “Call to Action.”

A London-based consultancy called “Beyond Green” wrote the report, (for £32,000 plus expenses), which commits the Council to nine “catalytic actions.”

They are:

1. World-leading neighbourhood regeneration

2. Retrofitting Manchester's civic heritage

3. A business alliance for climate change

4. Low carbon energy infrastructure

5. Low Carbon Communities

6. A climate-ready Local Development Framework

7. The Manchester Prize

8. Greening the City: i-Trees

9. A green airport

We here at MCFly Towers think that these sorts of things go better with consultation. While we are waiting for the Council to announce just what it is going to do on this question, we will be posting one “catalytic action” per day on the MCFly blog, with a brief analysis. We invite the people of Manchester (and heck, why not beyond) to comment on these. We will pass on your comments to the Council.

That's not to say the other parts of the report aren't worthy of comment too- it's just that we have to start somewhere, and here is as good a place as any...

Low Carbon Communities

"The City Council will encourage neighbourhood or community groups to identify opportunities across the city in which to pilot transformational Low Carbon Communities.

"This will demonstrate how existing neighbourhoods can combat climate change, improve their local environment, increase social cohesion and cut energy costs and fuel poverty through a comprehensive but affordable package of action to reduce their carbon footprint. The project could include:

• "Creating,on a self-financing basis, a community renewable energy supply in which residents own a stake and benefit from the sale of surplus energy via the grid;
• "Helping homeowners to release equity in their homes based on savings on future energy bills to fund retrofitting improvements in energy efficiency, and procuring improvements on a co-ordinated basis to realise purchasing power;
• "Preparing a green travel plan for the community and facilitating car-share schemes, public realm improvements and other measures to encourage more sustainable travel patterns;

-snip-

"Engaging local people in wider sustainable regeneration of their choosing – for example using underused open space for food production, setting up social enterprises for land management and community composting, or establishing organic box schemes; and larger-scale interventions for example through the redevelopment or reuse of under-utilised buildings to enhance the physical and social character of the area and release additional value for community uses.

"In order to further define and scope the concept of Low Carbon Communities and establish a framework of support within the city, the City Council will organise as part of the consultation programme a symposium on neighbourhood climate change action involving if possible partners such as the Carbon Trust, Co-operative and United Utilities."

Well, everyone and their mother is calling for Low Carbon Communities. It's the new Apple Pie. There's a Low Carbon Communities Network, the next Friends of the Earth campaign- much delayed frankly- is about cuddling up to councils and is called "Low Carbon Communities". So Beyond Green have got the branding right...

"the City Council will organise as part of the consultation programme"

And what consultation programme would that be then? It says "the", meaning applying to the whole Call to Action. If it were specifically about this catalytic action, it would be "a" consultation programme. The Council is basically breaking its promise to have a consultation process, and then expects people to continue to trust it. Extraordinary. Extraordinary that the various groups in Manchester are unable to rouse themselves to any sort of activity about this. ("Extraordinary" is a charitable description, actually)

And does the council here think of consulting with the great unwashed, the people who pay their council taxes? No, it consults with government quangos and private business. Genius.

Catalytic Action 4: Low carbon energy infrastructure

The Executive of Manchester City Council- in effect the “Cabinet” of the 96 seat elected body, has recently accepted a report called the “Call to Action.”

A London-based consultancy called “Beyond Green” wrote the report, (for £32,000 plus expenses), which commits the Council to nine “catalytic actions.”

They are:

1. World-leading neighbourhood regeneration

2. Retrofitting Manchester's civic heritage

3. A business alliance for climate change

4. Low carbon energy infrastructure

5. Low carbon communities

6. A climate-ready Local Development Framework

7. The Manchester Prize

8. Greening the City: i-Trees

9. A green airport

We here at MCFly Towers think that these sorts of things go better with consultation. While we are waiting for the Council to announce just what it is going to do on this question, we will be posting one “catalytic action” per day on the MCFly blog, with a brief analysis. We invite the people of Manchester (and heck, why not beyond) to comment on these. We will pass on your comments to the Council.

That's not to say the other parts of the report aren't worthy of comment too- it's just that we have to start somewhere, and here is as good a place as any...

Low carbon energy infrastructure

"The establishment of the right critical energy infrastructure is a vital step on the road to a low carbon economy. Manchester needs to bring together a demand-side analysis of current and future need for energy infrastructure with a supply-side analysis of the opportunities for low carbon energy generation. As described out in box 3.1, this is an evolving process involving many different partners; there will be a key role for the Greater Manchester Climate Change Agency in bringing coherence to that process in our City.

"Manchester City Council, with a range of partners including United Utilities, is supporting work by the AGMA Environment Commission to examine the commercial and technical feasibility of establishing a Manchester-wide Energy Services Company (ESCo). The model will supply low carbon and renewable energy on a strategic scale across Greater Manchester, making best use of the resources and environments that characterise different parts of the conurbation. This builds on a feasibility study undertaken for Manchester Knowledge Capital in 2007."

-snip-

"This work will be complemented by two other studies to be overseen by the Climate Change Agency into community heating and combined heat and power capacity, and renewable energy generation capacity.

"Subject to the outcomes of these studies, the City Council will support early efforts to establish an infrastructure strategy for renewable energy generation, distribution and use across the City and City-region. If necessary, the City Council will use its landholdings to accelerate the development of generation capacity and ensure that both the energy and the income such development – which is likely to be controversial generates is invested in local communities. However, in principle the establishment of a citywide ESCo or similar offers potentially the greatest single source of reduction in Manchester’s emissions – potentially up to a 30 per cent cut in the City’s total carbon footprint depending on uptake and the extent to which existing energy supplies are replaced

OK, in principle this seems sensible enough. I am not an energy expert, so I'd love to hear from other people on this.

A few obvious questions:

Manchester Knowledge Capital has been in possession of a feasibility study since 2007. What has that feasibility study been used for in 2008- a draught excluder?

What have other comparable cities in the UK and beyond done to encourage microgeneration? Did Beyond Green speak to WADE or Greenpeace or any other folks who've been banging on about this stuff for years? If so, what advice were they given? If not, why not?

“Subject to the outcome of these studies”: there's an interesting bit of wiggle room there. What outcomes of these studies might stop the council from proceeding?.

What exactly does the council think is going to be controversial? Are they planning to announce a Fusion Reactor in Fallowfield? An atomic pile in Ancoats? Something else? (I jest of course; one of the climate principles agreed last year explicitly ruled out nuclear. And we all know the climate principles are binding, oh yes...)

Again, by the council's own admission, these actions are going to have a low carbon reduction impact. The box on page 47 really does bear close attention- very few of these actions have immediate starts, and the ones that do were already going. And there are no quantified reductions.

Catalytic Action 3: Business Alliance for Climate Change

The Executive of Manchester City Council- in effect the “Cabinet” of the 96 seat elected body- has recently accepted a report called the “Call to Action.”

A London-based consultancy called “Beyond Green” wrote this report, which commits the Council to nine “catalytic actions.”

They are:

1. World-leading neighbourhood regeneration

2. Retrofitting Manchester's civic heritage

3. A business alliance for climate change

4. Low carbon energy infrastructure

5. Low carbon communities

6. A climate-ready Local Development Framework

7. The Manchester Prize

8. Greening the City: i-Trees

9. A green airport

We here at MCFly Towers think that these sorts of things go better with consultation. While we are waiting for the Council to announce just what it is going to do on this question, we will be posting one “catalytic action” per day on the MCFly blog, with a brief analysis. We invite the people of Manchester (and heck, why not beyond) to comment on these. We will pass on your comments to the Council.

That's not to say the other parts of the report aren't worthy of comment too- it's just that we have to start somewhere, and here is as good a place as any...

"If we in Manchester are to shape the city so that it is fit to grow a low carbon economy and reap a competitive and first-mover advantage from doing so, business will need to be in the vanguard. Indeed, through forums such as the 100 Months Club and activities like the Environmental Business Pledge, business is already playing an important role.

"Often, business action on climate change and sustainability focuses on efforts to reduce factory and office waste and energy use, source supplies more sustainably, and change employee behaviour (for example by providing incentives and facilities for walking and cycling to work). This kind of in-house action is critical, with many small steps adding up to major carbon savings if widely adopted and will be an important part of business action on climate change in the City.

"The City Council wants to understand business views on this Call to Action. We want to understand what specific interventions Manchester business would like to see to support the realisation of a low carbon economy, including supportive policy changes, for example. We would like to examine with business the potential for coordinated procurement initiatives by large organisations across the public and private sectors to create a demand-pull on environmental technologies in Manchester. We would like business input on the potential of climate change as a signature aspect of Manchester’s brand – as the Chicago Climate Exchange has increasingly become associated with Chicago’s international brand. The City Council would like to engage and support business leaders to take the lead on climate change action. These businesses will provide the lead for others to follow and will agree a number of stretching and specific common commitments and actions."

Which is all well and good. There will be an entirely predictable spectrum of responses to this. Friends of the Earth will cautiously welcome it, the Green Party will say that there should be more focus on regulation, rather than expecting niceness from companies. Beyond that, the more hardline socialists etc will call for nationalisation etc. etc

I hope the council is well informed on the potential limits to these sorts of voluntary schemes. There is a recent excellent book edited by Dr. Rory Sullivan that it would be worth their while to read. It's called “Corporate Responses to Climate Change.” You can read a review and an interview with Dr. Sullivan here.

Three other concerns are as follows-

1) won't this simply duplicate work of groups like “Business in the Community” and various quangos like Envirolink Northwest etc etc?

2) There is surely a real danger that the proposed conference with an internationally recognised speaker (Al Gore more likely than James Hansen, I'd guess) for later will simply add to emissions and public cynicism that the Council is doing more talking than doing.

3) There are no direct impacts on C02 reductions from this catalytic action, by the Council's own admission! (see box on page 47 of the report)

Manchester Climate Change Agency news

Manchester Climate Fortnightly has reported in the past on the upcoming “Manchester Climate Change Agency.” It will cover Greater Manchester (all ten local authorities). It had initially been due to open in March, but this has been pushed back to “late summer.”
Its third bulletin has just come out, and is well worth a read. (it's only 3 and a bit pages). Ah, doesn't seem to be online just yet...

They've agreed a mission statement:

The Greater Manchester Climate Change Agency (working title) is the city region's business, public and third sector partnership, contributing towards economic advantage and prosperity by:
(i) delivering carbon reductions, and
(ii)responding to the impacts of climate change

The MCCA will be overseen by the “Environment Commission”. [no website yet]
This will next meet in February/March. The six elected members of the Environment Commission have been announced (all councillors from various local authorities). Five more will be chosen, from “business; the third sector; academia; property and development; and communications. They will be recognised figureheads within their respective sectors and have significant decision making powers and influence over environmental performance across the city region. Wherever possible, they will have strong links into other Commissions and work streams to promote inter-Commission working.”

The other commissions mentioned here are AGMA bodies, including the Economic Development, Employment and Skills Commission.

MCFly will keep you posted...

Catalytic Action 2: Retrofitting Manchester's Civic Heritage

The Executive of Manchester City Council- in effect the “Cabinet” of the 96 seat elected body, has recently accepted a report called the “Call to Action.”

A London-based consultancy called “Beyond Green” wrote the report, which commits the Council to nine “catalytic actions.”

These are:

1. World-leading neighbourhood regeneration

2. Retrofitting Manchester's civic heritage

3. A business alliance for climate change

4. Low carbon energy infrastructure

5. Low carbon communities

6. A climate-ready Local Development Framework

7. The Manchester Prize

8. Greening the City: i-Trees

9. A green airport

We here at MCFly Towers think that these sorts of things go better with consultation. While we are waiting for the Council to announce just what it is going to do on this question, we will be posting one “catalytic action” per day on the MCFly blog, with a brief analysis. We invite the people of Manchester (and heck, why not beyond) to comment on these. We will pass on your comments to the Council.

That's not to say the other parts of the report aren't worthy of comment too- it's just that we have to start somewhere, and here is as good a place as any...

So, here's part of what the report says on retrofitting the townhall...

“One clear route to reducing operational carbon emissions is through our combined purchasing power and the potential to use this both to ‘green’ our own operations efficiently and to create a base of demand for the development of new technologies and services.

“The buildings that make up the Town Hall complex are of significant historical and cultural importance to the City. However, their design and heritage present us with particular challenges in terms of energy efficiency and carbon emissions. Under the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, large buildings that are occupied either by public authorities or by institutions providing public services are required to publicly display energy performance certificates.

"On the scale of A (best) to G (worst), both the Town Hall (Grade 1 listed) and Extension Building (Grade 2* listed) are rated as E.

"We are currently undertaking a study to look at the feasibility of financially viable, low carbon retrofit options for the Town Hall complex."

“From the table labelled Box 6.1 (page 47) re: action 2, under the heading “Direct Impact” “High locally – major carbon reductions (to be quantified) and cost savings; low in citywide context ”

Presumably this is what was reported in the Manchester Evening News last Saturday (24th Jan), about the council seeking commercial property from March 2010 because of a major refurbishment...

Comments

Well, the Council DOES need to put its own house/hall in order, this is true. People always want to know if those who are preaching are also practicing, and the accusation of hypocrisy is the shortest way to end an argument...

But, again, given the Council has been banging on about climate change for a couple of years, wouldn't you have thought they'd have got to this a bit earlier? I know it sounds churlish, but surely they knew they were going to have to do this, and it would have been better to grab the nettle a little earlier? Still, we are when we are...

Interesting to know how exactly the Council plans to share the best practice they develop on this.