Power up local communities to hit climate targets, urges Green New Deal report

From Caroline Lucas' webpage

Powering up local communities with cleaner community energy, local food supplies and strengthened public transport networks is essential if the UK is to hit its 2030 climate targets, according to a new report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on a Green New Deal, co-chaired by Green MP Caroline Lucas and Labour MP Clive Lewis. 

The report marks the culmination of the APPG’s ‘Local Edge’ inquiry, which held evidence sessions to explore best practice solutions at a local level to reduce carbon emissions across three sectors – heat, energy and buildings; food, land use and nature; and transport and air quality – and to identify regulatory changes needed in order to enable local initiatives to reach their potential, scale up, replicate and flourish.  

The UK’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) has committed to cut carbon emissions by 68% below 1990 levels by 2030. While the Government has set bolder carbon reduction targets for 2035 and 2050, meeting the 2030 target represents Parliament’s most immediate challenge – which will be impossible to reach unless it devolves significant powers and resources to a local level, the report argues. 

Caroline Lucas, Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion, said: 

We know that every home can be its own power station. But now we need national Government to power up communities with the finance, resources and regulatory frameworks to help them scale up and thrive. If we’re going to meet our immediate climate targets and secure a liveable future – with warm and comfortable homes, renewable and affordable local energy, healthy and low-carbon food, and cheap and clean transport – we urgently need to put Green New Deal policies into practice, with local people and communities at the forefront.

The report links climate aspiration and constitutional obligation – offering a joined-up response to the polycrisis of a climate emergency, cost of living scandal, energy crisis and constitutional dilemma. 

Evidence sessions held by the inquiry discovered examples of transformative local initiatives around the country – but found communities were held back by the absence of the necessary national regulatory frameworks, and finance required to scale them up and reach their full potential. The most progressive examples follow a pattern in which national governments set out statutory climate obligations, but allow localities to determine how best to deliver them. 

One of the most transformative proposals would be for the Government to make its commitment to a 68% reduction in carbon emissions on 1990 levels by 2030 a binding obligation on all public sector organisations and agencies for all their spending, programmes and projects. 

Amongst other recommendations, the report calls for a European-style ‘right of local supply’, promoting the development of more localised energy communities, by allowing community renewables generation schemes to sell directly to local people; changes to grid access charging in favour of more localised energy systems; and energy efficiency funding to be restored to at least 2012 levels.

The report also demands an end to tax allowances for the use of fossil fuel vehicles. Lessons from cities such as Manchester suggest that conflicts between communities and commuters can be minimised if integrated, affordable public transport alternatives are on offer. 

Some of the report’s other key recommendations include: 

• Planning law must be aligned with net zero climate targets and they should be specifically included in local plans. 
• Local authorities must be given a statutory duty to cut transport emissions in their area by 68% by 2030. 
• The duty to deliver integrated public transport services should be returned to local authorities. 
• The ECO energy efficiency programme should be replaced with a revised version of Warm Zones – developing whole-area, rather than individual, approaches to energy conservation. 
• All carbon subsidies (to fertilisers and fuel) must be swapped into support for regenerative and organic farming. 
• A new Local Food Investment Fund should be established to provide strategic support across the UK for investment in localised agri-food infrastructure and enterprise.  
• The 15-acre minimum size threshold for applications to DEFRA’s community supported farm schemes should be scrapped. 

Because of the UK’s over-centralised approach to energy generation, storage and distribution, specific recommendations were made to the energy regulator Ofgem. The report calls for Ofgem to open its Innovation Funding to promote more localised ‘combined heat and power’ systems; to switch to an average cost pricing system that favours more localised and lower cost renewables; and to prioritise the lowest carbon/lowest marginal cost supplies, ending the current situation in which wind turbines can be stood down to keep power stations running. 

The full report can be found here.

Brent Momentum meeting on radical council responses to the Climate Emergency: Decarbonising Brent

 

Brent Momentum, as part of the series of events under the Brent Transformed umbrella, have a well-timed event coming up as Brent Council consults on its Climate Emergency Strategy 

DECARBONISING BRENT

 

Municipal strategies for a radical response to the climate emergency

November 23rd 8-9pm 

How can we make a socialist Green New Deal work locally? What reforms and changes lie within the powers of Councils to combine social and environmental justice? And how can local people organise to realise these ambitions?

Speakers:

Sylvia Gauthereau (Brent Cycling Campaign)

Paul Atkin (Greener Jobs Alliance/Brent Momentum)

Sarah McKinley (Democracy Collaborative)

BOOK ON EVENTBRITE HERE

General Election 2019: Did the Greens sell their souls for a few scraps from the Lib Dems?

It is just not the Labour Party that has to undertake a review  of their performance in the General Election. The forthcoming Spring Conference of the Green Party will have to seriously consider its election strategy, including the formulation process, and draw out lessons for the future.

Green Left, the eco-socialist group within the Green Party has today published the following statement on the 2019 UK general election.

The defeat for Labour in the General Election was disappointing, because it happened in spite of Labour supporting countering Climate Change,

The Green Party should welcome the many in the Labour Party and Trade Union movement who now want a green transformation of the economy.

Unfortunately, the Green Party made the mistake of linking up with the discredited Lib Dems over the Brexit issue and, even on this, serious differences emerged over the Lib Dems’ proposal to remain without a referendum. The pact was not based on other shared policies with the Lib Dems.

Many members of the Green Party were surprised that it endorsed Lib Dems in some 20 seats with sitting Labour MPs and candidates near to its policies on austerity, Brexit and the Green New Deal. Why were the Lib Dems allowed to use our good name to fight Labour?

The General Election strategy of the Green Party seemed to be fixated on gaining an extra MP by selling our soul for a few scraps from the Lib Dems; and in the event was of no benefit to Greens

Green Left has asked the Green Party what was the basis for this mistaken strategy? Were its political implications fully thought out?

Green Left believes the task of the GPEW is to encourage debate and discussion with those who share or are beginning to share our perspective on the need to fight climate change and the need for a Green New Deal to transform the economy.

Climate Strikers invite you to Green New Deal workshop September 26th Preston Library

The youth climate strikers would like to invite you to attend a workshop about the Green New Deal on Thursday 26th September as part of their national week of climate action. The UK Student Climate Network are organising this workshop for local people and grassroots organisations in London in order to:

1. Explain what the basic principles of the Green New Deal are
2. Discuss how we can spread knowledge of a GND within our organisations and communities
3. Brainstorm ideas about what a GND could mean for us - both on a national and local level

The workshop will be taking place at Preston Community Library (Carlton Avenue East, Wembley, HA9 8PL) from 6-8pm on Thursday 26th. If you would like to attend this workshop, please RSVP by purchasing a FREE ticket on our Eventbrite page below. We ask that tickets are limited to 2 per organisation, as we want to make sure we have a good variety of different groups.

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/green-new-deal-workshop-brent-tickets-72784810327

'Green Jobs for Now and Tomorrow' with John McDonnell MP September 11th Bridge Park

Wednesday September 11th 7.30pm

Bridge Park Complex

Harrow Road, NW10 ORG

(close to junction with North Circular Road)

Stonebridge Park Station Bakerloo & London Overground  

- cross the North Circular via Harrow Road, buses 18, 404, 112

Creating a sustainable, prosperous and
green economy that benefits us all

Speakers:
• John McDonnell MP, Shadow Chancellor
• Aaron Kiely, Friends of the Earth
• Sarah Woolley, Bakers Union (Greener Futures)
• Cat Cray, RMT Union
• Roxanne Mashari, Brent Councillor
• and contributions from the floor

ALL WELCOME

Doors open 7pm

REGISTER HERE Admission free with collection at end of meeting.

 
NOTE:

In the event of a snap General Election the format of this meeting may change to conform with electoral law.

Osborne’s failure on Green Economy and Jobs’

• Cash boost for big polluters shows Osborne ‘dangerously colour blind on the green economy’; Britain needs a Green New Deal
• Chancellor reveals plan to ‘rip up environmental and social protection laws’
• ‘Government failing to address UK’s biggest crisis: the jobs deficit’
• Ruling out Robin Hood Tax on financial sector is ‘huge mistake’

Chancellor George Osborne delivered his Autumn Statement today, setting out the Coalition Government’s strategy to deal with the UK’s stagnatingeconomy. The announcement coincides with a number of pessimistic predictions which set the British economy on course for a double dip recession next year

Responding to the Statement, Caroline Lucas, MP for Brighton Pavilion and leader of the Green party of England and Wales, said:

Today’s budget announcement exposes just how dangerously colour blind the Chancellor really is when it comes to the green economy and the low carbon industries which can help lift us out of recession.

And the fact that the Osborne is taking £250 million away from hard pressed families to fund a big cash boost for some of this country’s most polluting industries – whilst also rushing through major cuts to the flourishing solar industry – simply beggars belief.

Why agree on a much needed carbon tax to drag the UK’s energy intensive industries into the 21st century and pay for their contribution to the climate crisis, but then be scared into giving millions back because a few vested interests like Tata call your bluff?

This backwards and expensive merry-go-round shows that the Government is completely clueless on how to manage the low carbon revolution – and risks relegating the UK to the backseat when it comes to climate change and renewables.

Furthermore, the decision to scrap the 3p rise in fuel duty is scandalously short sighted and will set back our efforts to tackle transport emissions and air pollution. Instead, the Government should reverse the increase in VAT brought in at the beginning of the year – a better way of helping those finding it hardest to cope, as well as helping the economy to recover.”

‘Threat to our natural heritage’

Lucas continued:

What is also clear from today’s statement is that our valued countryside and environmental heritage is now seriously under threat from this Governmen’s bias towards big business. The Chancellor’s intention to scrap the so-called ‘red tape’ which protects the UK’s forests and fields from over-development, and reform the planning laws in favour of developers, is a call to arms for anyone who cares about conserving our natural heritage.

On inequality: ‘Nothing to see here’ 

This budget package – which looks suspiciously like a panicked Plan B rather than a Plan A Plus – does nothing to address the deepening inequality which is harming hard working people up and down the country.

Osborne refuses to address the vast gulf between the haves and the have-nots, and the persisting culture of entitlement in the financial sector that has allowed the earnings of top Barclays executives, for example, to increase by a stratospheric 4899.4% since 1980, whilst wages for the average worker have only seen a threefold increase.

The fact that the Government has confirmed it will not support a financial transactions tax such as the Robin Hood tax, or offer anything new to tackle tax avoidance and evasion, tells us all we need to know about the commitment to social justice amongst the Cabinet’s millionaire ministers.

And ripping up social protection laws is not the way to value our workforce and generate new jobs – indeed, industrial relations experts have shown that there is no ‘clear-cut link’ between employment protection and levels of unemployment.

On public infrastructure spending: ‘Missed opportunity to switch to green
quantitative easing’

Construction and road-building corporations are lobbying for more Government spending rather than austerity cuts – but the Chancellor lacks the courage or political vision to channel this billion pound spend into the job rich, green industries of the future.

If we invested heavily now in a major Green New Deal programme to create new state-owned renewable energy and an increase in energy efficiency measures to help bring down bills, we could create hundreds of thousands of jobs, as well as remain internationally competitive in the green technology race.

The jobs deficit

The Green MP concluded:

Ultimately, the constant downgrading of the UK’s growth forecasts is the clearest proof we need that the Coalition’s cuts plan is completely failing even on its own terms – with the Chancellor merely tinkering around the edges on our most urgent problem: the jobs deficit.

With unemployment at its highest rate since 1994, and more than one million 16-24 year olds out of work, the myth that the private sector would step in when the Government scaled back public spending to magic up jobs out of nowhere has been exposed as nonsense.

Go for Green QE - not a banking black hole

The Bank of England has announced that it is to inject a further £75bn into the economy through quantitative easing. Responding to the decision, Brighton Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas said: 

While it's clear that quantitative easing is one of the only options left to get our ailing economy off its knees, the Bank of England's decision to usher in £75bn worth of unregulated QE is problematic.

Unless we impose constraints on private banks to ensure the money reaches the real economy, we're effectively throwing money into a banking black hole - a recipe for systemic economic failure and further social inequality.

What we need is properly regulated quantitative easing directed towards actually creating jobs, increasing lending to small businesses and facilitating the move towards a green economy.

A job creation strategy like the Green New Deal, for example, would ultimately pay for itself by generating incomes and boosting emerging green industries.

As the average annual energy bill reaches a shocking new high of around £1,000 per household, surely now is the time to consider a green quantitative easing programme to help fund energy efficiency solutions such as home insulation to help keep people's bills down, and create hundreds of thousands of jobs in the process.

"Those who created the crisis should pay for it" - Caroline Lucas

Caroline Lucas spoke about the cuts and the Green New Deal at the Green Party Conference in Cardiff this weekend.

Cuts: the callous con trick - Caroline Lucas speaks out

New report proposes tax-based alternative to spending cuts – and calls for massive investment in job-creation

Green Party leader Caroline Lucas MP will this week tell the coalition government there is “no good reason for any cuts in public expenditure during the life of this parliament.” 

On Monday 21 June Britain’s first Green MP is to issue a new report – Cuts: the callous con trick  – in which she will make the case that cuts are unnecessary “because the economy could instead be rebalanced using additional tax revenues.”

The report, written jointly with tax expert Richard Murphy and Colin Hines of Finance for the Future, condemns the government “for failing to put to the electorate the option of fair tax instead of cuts,” and accuses ministers of increasing the likelihood of a double-dip recession.

Cuts “are not an economic inevitability but an ideological choice”

Caroline Lucas said today:

“Cuts are not an economic inevitability. They are an ideological choice. Politicians of all parties are now sharpening their axes to slash public spending, forcing those on lower incomes, who depend on public services the most, to pay the highest price for the recent excesses of the bankers.

“There is a choice. We should ask those best able to pay to foot the bill through fairer taxation. That’s the challenge I’m issuing: for that political choice to be made. It must be clearly asserted that we are not all in this together: that some had more responsibility for this crisis than others, and some benefited more from the boom that preceded it. Those who enjoyed the largest benefits must pay up now. For that to happen, fair taxes, not cuts, must become the new big idea to replace today’s callous and uncaring cuts fanaticism.”

Tax avoidance and evasion “truly staggering” – could be as high as £100bn a year

“The UK is currently one of the most unequal societies in Europe. But the financial crisis offers us an opportunity to rebalance the tax system. We could do it, for example, by applying the 50% tax rate to incomes above £100,000, abolishing the upper limit for national insurance contributions, raising capital gains tax to the recipient’s highest income tax rate, and helping lower earners by reintroducing the 10% tax band.  

“Moreover, the huge extent of tax avoidance, tax evasion and unpaid tax in the UK economy is truly staggering.  HM Revenue & Customs themselves admit that tax evasion and avoidance together come to at least £40 billion a year, whilst in November 2009 they also admitted there was £28 billion of unpaid tax owing to them. Shocking as these numbers are, some experts have suggested that tax evasion – that’s deliberately breaking the law to not pay tax – might be as high as £70 billion a year, and tax avoidance – in other words, exploiting loopholes in tax law – might be £25 billion a year. That would take the total target for necessary action to collect tax due and owing to more than £100 billion a year”

Cut tax abuse, not tax-collectors’ jobs

“Whilst these appalling losses to the nation’s coffers are occurring, HM Revenue & Customs are pursuing a programme of job cuts which will ultimately reduce their own staff by 20,000 – close to one quarter of the total. This makes absolutely no sense.  This programme should be reversed, staff re-employed, and local tax offices re-opened in order to tackle tax abuse. It has been calculated that at least £15 billion of extra tax could be collected each year as a result.  That could prevent a massive range of cuts”.

Richard Murphy, tax expert, chartered accountant and co-author of the report said :

“Our report sets out a range of additional options for changing the tax rules for the UK so that more than £40 billion of additional taxes could be raised each year by the end of the life of this parliament.   That, together with the tax collecting efficiency savings already noted, would together deliver more than £60 billion of tax revenues for the UK – so preventing the need for any cuts at all.”

“A government really can spend to save the economy when in a recession. During this one, borrowing has been smaller and unemployment lower than forecast because of the measures taken by the last government to stimulate the economy. This report argues that a Green New Deal involving public and private investment in a massive labour intensive UK wide energy saving programme and a rapid shift to renewables should be the basis for continuing that programme of support for our economy. This would ensure that we come out of the recession better equipped for the future we’re going to face.”

Caroline Lucas concluded:

“Fairer tax not cuts must become the real battleground of this new Parliament. It is the debate the Coalition and Labour alike must embrace. As the full ghastliness and unfairness of the cuts become ever clearer, the public clamour for fairer taxes rather than cuts can only grow.”

Note

The report can be read  HERE

Cuts will do more harm than good

The Coalition, supported by the media and with apparent tacit support from Labour, have been very successful in marginalising, to the point of invisibility, any view that there is an alternative to massive public sector cuts.

It was therefore refreshing to see a letter in the London Evening Standard from Professor James K Galbraith, son of renowned economist John Kenneth Galbraith, on Tuesday that questioned this approach.

After suggesting that Cameron's speech, which appeared to almost relish the cuts,  was 'tactical hyperbole' with the 'dual aim of blaming Labour and foreshadowing relief when the final cuts don't prove quite as bad as expected',  he says the cuts that will be made will 'do enormous damage and little good':

"The basic problem is that public spending is part of economic output pound for pound. Cutting it cuts into incomes and therefore the tax base. Deficits cannot be controlled this way but only when private credit or export demand booms to create full employment.

But where does the Prime Minister - as he targets housing benefits, for instance - imagine that demand for private credit will come from? The UK in 2010 is hardly America in 1933, a housing bubble waiting to happen. And where will export demand come from, as a rising pound depresses competitiveness while Europe sinks into depression?

David Cameron claims a horror of rising interest payments. He'll get those anyway because deficits will not fall as planned as the slump deepens. But he'll get them with more misery and fewer jobs, than he could have had with a policy of growth and constructive reform. And he seems to expect that people will be grateful."

For Greens this of course raises the whole issue of the nature of 'growth' and our preference for  growth based on a Green New Deal and the construction of a low carbon economy rather than a return to mindless consumerism.