Queens Park residents urge UK and world governments to take urgent action at COP26

 

 

Brent Friends of the Earth took their stall to Queens Park today and set up outside the Farmers' Market at Salusbury Primary School.

Children and adults answered the call to send messages to the Government and the Conference on the need for urgent action to address the climate emergency.

The messages have been recorded and the pennants left hanging on the school railings for pupils, parent and staff to see tomorrow morning.

Screening of 'A Plastic Ocean' by Brent FOE September 11th

From Brent Friends of the Earth

Tuesday 11^th September 2018; 7:30pm

Plastic Ocean Screening

All welcome

Meeting room, Watling Gardens Estate 

97 - 135 Shoot-Up Hill, London NW2 3UB 

The meeting room is near the playground which can be seen from the street. Disabled access is via the back door ramp. See here for more info on the venue and how to find it.

GJA: Time to get angry about air pollution

From the Greener Jobs Alliance

The Greener Jobs Alliance gives a response to the Government Air Pollution Plan published in July 2017 and identifies how union and community activists can respond.

No one can say that the Government hasn’t been given a chance to get this right. We’ve had 3 court cases since 2011 all pointing out that the UK is in breach of its legal duty. In May 2017 a consultation document where the overwhelming response was that more needs to be done. Finally, on July 26th, we got the publication of ‘The UK plan for tackling roadside nitrogen dioxide emissions’. LINK


Not surprisingly the ‘plan’ has been panned for failing to tackle this public health emergency. By not adequately addressing what should be done now, rather than in 23 years time, the Government has condemned thousands of people to a premature death. Advocating a ban on petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040 is all well and good, but we needed a clear framework for the urgent implementation of clean air zones before 2020. Other shortcomings are highlighted in articles published following the launch of the report.

Five things you need to know about Gove's air pollution plans - Energy Desk

FoE Latest on Air Quality Plan

The government's air pollution plan is a beautiful smokescreen - Guardian Environment

We agree with Client Earth’s James Thornton’s observation that “it is little more than a shabby rewrite of the previous draft plans and is underwhelming and lacking in urgency. Having promised to make air quality a top priority, Michael Gove appears to have fallen at the first hurdle.”

What happened to the ‘polluter pays principle’?

The Greener Jobs Alliance called for specific duties to be placed on businesses. In our submission to the consultation, we pointed out that ‘There should be a legal duty on large businesses to carry out an emissions assessment. For example, a single employer may be responsible for generating thousands of vehicle movements every day by their staff and suppliers. They need to provide evidence that they have a transport policy in place to bring their emissions down within clear time limits’. 

  It is part of a system that fails to make oil, gas and coal companies face up to the wider social costs inflicted by their products. In fact, they end up getting massive subsidies. For example, earlier this year files were leaked showing £4.9 billion provided to fossil fuel firms in export finance by the government since 2010. LINK


Far from setting out any obligations on employers, the Government plan advocates the exact opposite. We are told in Para 47 that ‘The UK government is clear that any action to improve air quality must not be done at the expense of local businesses’. So much for the principle of the polluter pays. Most air pollution is generated by work-related activities and yet the individual and the state pick up the bill. The need for a focus on employer’s responsibilities makes it even more important that trades unions start to get serious about air pollution. This is a workplace issue and must be treated as such.

Mandatory Clean Air Zones needed

Defra’s own evidence makes it clear that charge zones are the most effective way to tackle pollution. Yet local authorities don’t have to produce plans until December 2018. Implementation could take much longer and cash strapped councils will find it hard to comply. A campaign is needed urgently to turn CAZs that charge or ban dirty vehicles from a last resort to a first resort measure. They must be coordinated and funded by central government. This is a national public health crisis and requires a national response. Who should pay for this? Large businesses that fail to show effective measures for reducing their distribution/supply and travel emissions.

What should trade unions do?

Union members measure air pollution outside and inside the workplace

Currently, the UCU is the only union with national policy on tackling air pollution. Every union needs to draw up plans for involving their safety reps in making this an occupational health priority. Indoor and outdoor pollution are often linked. Toxic air kills whether a worker is exposed inside or outside a building. It is also an area that lends itself to cross union engagement through trades union councils linking up at a city and regional level with community activists. Unions also need to get involved in consultations over the introduction and implementation of Clean Air Zones. In addition to London, there are 28 other local authorities in England that are required to take local action in ’the shortest possible time’. These are referenced on Page 31 of the report. Unions need to check this list and prioritise how they will respond.

Toxic air shock for Brent residents

David Wardle and Pam Laurance (Brent Friends of the Earth) at Sustainability Day at Colindale Public Health England

 On 5th May 2017 the government released its plan for improving air quality and is a call for action from Brent Council and the Mayor of London.  

The plan underlines the importance of the work being carried out by Brent FOE which has contributed to the evidence base indicating the illegal and dangerous levels of nitrogen dioxide in the air in Brent. 

Brent FOE took measurements of the levels of nitrogen dioxide in February this year at 9* locations in Brent, using Friends of the Earth Air Quality kits (available at foe.co.uk).  The locations included playgrounds, schools, high streets, tube stations, and areas that have a significant footfall.   

Nitrogen dioxide is one of many air pollutants.  It is a smelly gas which contributes to smog and respiratory problems.  Nitrogen dioxide inflames the lining of the lungs, and it can reduce immunity to lung infections. This can cause problems such as wheezing, coughing, colds, flu and bronchitis.

Increased levels of nitrogen dioxide can have a significant impact on people with asthma, due to the fact that it can cause more frequent and more intense attacks. Children with asthma and older people with heart disease are most at risk.

The EU legal limit for nitrogen dioxide concentrations is 40µg/m³.  The readings at the 9* locations ranged from 64.81µg/m³ to 94.16µg/m³.  The evidence indicates that all locations had nitrogen dioxide concentrations that were above the EU legal limit, and some were more than double that limit.

FOE is demanding the introduction of a Clean Air Act and a generous scrappage system for diesel vehicles that will significantly reduce emissions.  Contact your local General Election candidates (Contact details HERE) and the Mayor of London to ask them for their views.  If you would like to join Brent FOE or find out more about our campaign, please contact info@brentfoe.co.uk.

*9 locations: Fryent Medical Centre, NW9 9PE; Kingsbury tube station NW9 8XG; 5 Berkeley Rd NW9 9DJ;Roe Green Park, Children’s playground NW9 9DT; 14 Craven Park Road, Housewife Cash+ Carry NW10 4AB; Harlesden Library NW10 8SE; Opposite Greenhill Park Medical Centre NW10 9AR; Harlesden Primary School, Acton Lane NW10 8UT; Shakespeare Avenue Open Space (Nr. A404) NW10 8NG

Meeting: Floods, coming to a High Street near you...?

-->

Climate change campaigner Guy Shrubsole will be giving a talk about floods at Brent Friends of the Earth's (Brent FoE) monthly meeting at Watling Gardens Community Meeting Room, in Kilburn on Tuesday February 10th at 7.30pm.

Guy Shrubsole, Climate Campaigner from Friends of the Earth will be asking are we at risk, and what can we do to tackle floods and climate change in Brent.

Ian Saville, a Co-ordinator of Brent Friends of the Earth says:

Floods and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent as a result of climate change. In Brent we have a large reservoir and the River Brent, and many people now find when they renew their insurance that they are considered at risk of flooding. There is a real danger of serious flooding in some areas. We'll be discussing how all this might affect us in Brent and what we can all do to lessen the risk.

Everyone is welcome to attend this free event, and stay for the rest of the group meeting. Light refreshments will be available.

The talk will start at at 7.30pm till approximately 9pm, and will be followed by Brent FoE's monthly meeting. The meeting will be at Watling Gardens Community Meeting Room, 97/135 Watling Gardens, Shoot Up Hill, NW2 3UB (5 mins. from Kilburn tube/buses on Shoot up Hill). For more information see http://www.brentfoe.com or email info@brentfoe.com.

Brent to investigate if it has powers to ban fracking

Following the campaign by Friends of the Earth and the recent demonstration by Brent FoE at Willesden Green station. along with my own modest suggestion that local authorities declare 'Fracking Free Zones' LINK along the lines of the 'Nuclear Free Zones' of the 70s and 80s, Brent Council today announced that they are the first London Council investigating whether it has powers to ban fracking in the borough.

Some may argue that this would be gesture politics as fracking is unlikely in the borough but I think as with the Nuclear Free Zones it would make a clear statement of principle that may well come in useful in the future as technology advances. As such it will be welcomed by Brent Green Party.

This is the Council Statement

Brent Council is to become the first local authority in London to investigate whether powers under the Localism or Planning Acts allow it to ban fracking in the borough.

Residents of the borough and Friends of the Earth have been campaigning for councillors from all parties to pledge to prevent any fracking from taking place within the borders of Brent. The council has now promised to look at utilising any legal avenues it has at its disposal to stop shale gas extraction. It is believed to be the first step of this kind by a council in the UK.

Campaigners and residents are concerned that fracking can lead to mild earthquakes, large quantities of methane gas being released and a poisoning of the water supply, while many organisations also worry that the industry, because of how new it is, is still not regulated or supervised closely enough.

Scores of councils, states and local authorities around the world have banned fracking in their areas but Brent would be the first council in the UK to do it.

Brent Council is also argues that the Big Energy Switch, where residents can sign up to bulk buying their electricity through their local authority which would save people money on their energy bills in the short term.

Leader of the Council, Cllr Muhammed Butt, said:-

While there may be advantages to fracking in some parts of the country it would be dangerous and reckless for companies to start drilling in Brent. I will do everything legally within my power to address the concerns of residents and keep Brent a frack-free zone.

Councils have significant and widespread powers which allow us to stand up for the rights of residents. I am determined to use these powers to help reassure people that fracking in Brent will always be a non-starter.

While fracking may not be planned for Brent yet, the rapid pace and scale of fracking technology means that we need to act now if we are to ensure we have the necessary examination of the powers we have to potentially prevent it from happening in the future.