Our leaders are failing us on climate - we (the people) need to act now

COP28, the UN Climate summit, has ended with yet more dashed hopes for a rapid phasing out of the use of fossil fuels. What we have instead is a watered-down call for countries to move away from fossil fuels but not to phase them out. This is despite the official text of COP28 recognizing ‘the need for deep, rapid and sustained reductions if humanity is to limit temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels’. Maybe we are witnessing the beginning of the end for fossil fuels but for many climate experts it’s way too little, far too late.

Here in the UK, it is easy to feel ashamed and frustrated in equal measure that our government doesn’t seem to be grasping the urgency of the climate emergency. The facts seem so clear that without a healthy climate, we cannot hope for a healthy economy or a comfortable future. Rishi Sunak appears to think it’s acceptable to spend more time travelling to and from COP28 in his private jet than he did at the actual event. In the middle of crucial negotiations, he also called Graham Stuart, the UK’s Climate Minister, back to the UK for a key vote in Parliament on the Government’s Rwanda bill. Ironically, mass migration will only increase as the effects of climate change make vast areas of the world effectively uninhabitable.

The UK Government was notably absent from key moments at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai

Time and time again, we see our government rowing back on net zero targets and perfectly workable carbon reduction initiatives. In 2013 the rot set in when the decision by David Cameron’s government to ditch what he called ‘green crap’ policies left UK households highly exposed to soaring gas prices and the effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. According to a study conducted at the time by Dr Simon Evans of Carbon Brief this decision was likely to cost every UK household as much as £150 a year on their energy bills. He also concluded that energy efficiency and cheap renewables are the fastest and most effective ways to cut gas imports and household bills.

In 2021 we saw further back-tracking when Boris Johnson’s flagship Green Home Grants scheme, designed to help householders insulate their homes and install low carbon heating, was scrapped after just six months. It was plagued by botched implementation, poor administration, and complaints from installers of too much red tape. Many installers were left disillusioned and out of pocket when the scheme was abandoned as they had invested thousands of pounds in registration fees and training.
There just doesn’t seem to be the required level of commitment from our government for net zero initiatives.

Local climate leadership

Clearly, we can’t sit back and wait for our leaders to act on climate change, their response is woefully inadequate and way too slow. What we can do is act locally, coming together to collectively bring about effective change in our local communities.

From the emergence of housing co-ops in the 1970s to today’s growing number of community energy co-ops, there are countless examples of the benefits of powerful community action that demonstrates a better way of doing things and has grown from small beginnings to widely accepted solutions.

The Big Lemon Bus Company, founded in Brighton & Hove, has established the first bus network in the UK to be powered by solar electricity

The Big Lemon Bus Company is an amazing local example of what people can achieve when they act collectively. In 2006, a group of people got together and decided to set up a Community Interest Company to provide an affordable and environmentally sustainable bus service in Brighton and Hove. Funded by investment from local residents, the company has gone from strength to strength and now operates six solar-powered bus routes in Brighton and Hove, four in Bristol and three in Bath. The initiative is now seen as a prime example of how to run a sustainable community bus company and the Big Lemon has ambitious plans to help other communities around the UK.

Brighton is also home to the supermarket rebels HISBE, ‘a social enterprise on a mission to transform the food industry, for a fairer and more sustainable future’, and we must also mention the incredible work being done by the team at Ruby Moon, who transform ocean waste into swimwear and activewear clothing whilst donating their profits into micro loans for female entrepreneurs.

If you feel in need of further motivation, watch this inspiring podcast created by Patagonia, the outdoor gear manufacturers: https://eu.patagonia.com/gb/en/wethepower/#success-stories or their ‘Fighting Fossil Fuels with Community Energy’ podcast https://eu.patagonia.com/gb/en/wethepower/podcast/

Power to the people

One easy way for people to get involved with local climate action is by joining their nearest community energy group. 

There are nearly 500 community energy organisations located throughout the UK who are dedicated to developing community owned, locally based clean energy projects. These can range from insulation schemes and low-carbon heating to solar panels and wind power projects.

Sussex is home to several community energy groups who are known throughout the UK for their pioneering initiatives to reduce carbon emissions and cut energy costs.

In Hastings, Energise Sussex Coast have established a reputation as leaders in the fight against fuel poverty, providing free energy advice and energy saving measures to hundreds of clients across the coastal town.

In Lewes, Ovesco completed one of the first community energy projects ever in the UK at the Harveys Brewery and have since gone on to develop many projects on schools and businesses in the area.

Support the community energy movement in Brighton & Hove

Brighton & Hove is home to two community energy organisations; Brighton Energy Co-op, and BHESCo.

Brighton Energy Co-op have installed rooftop solar power on sites across the city, from Shoreham Port to the Brighton MET College and the Hove Enterprise Centre.

BHESCo have developed over sixty low-carbon energy projects and are currently completing new solar power projects on eight sites in Sussex, including at five schools in Brighton and Hove. 

We are also looking to develop an innovative solar electricity shared distribution system for neighbouring SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises). Constraints on solar projects accessing the national grid are currently a major stumbling block for the rollout of new sustainable energy generation, which is why BHESCo is keen to develop microgrid distribution systems such as the one we are designing at an industrial park in West Sussex.

BHESCo Ten Point Plan UK Net Zero Carbon Emissions - Solar PV
BHESCo are developing a suite of new solar power projects, including at five schools in Brighton & Hove, plus a leisure centre, a business park, and an industrial estate

These projects will all be financed through a community bond offer which is being run in partnership with the impact investing platform Ethex. You can find out more about the BHESCo bond offer and the benefits of investing here:

If you cannot afford to become and investor in your local community energy group, there are several ways you may want to get involved. Perhaps you have a renewable energy project of your own that you’d like our help or advice on; or you may be looking for simple, cost-effective ways to make your existing home or business more energy efficient

If you feel frustrated by the lack of Government effort on climate change, and you want to take action but are not too keen on the confrontational tactics of Extinction Rebellion or Just Stop Oil, then you couldn’t do better than by supporting your local community energy group.

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