Maiden speech: Enabling a one planet economy in Hounslow

Speech by Cllr Andrew Dakers delivered to Hounslow Council on Tue 27th Jun 2006

Madame Mayor, fellow members of the Council and members of the public who are attending tonight's Council meeting to hear the vital debate on the motion Cllr Howliston and I have submitted.

Sustainable development is often described as a three legged stool. Just like a well designed three legged stool - well planned sustainable development balances our local and global environmental, economic and social needs. Well designed this can be a harmonious relationship.

As UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has said, "Unless we protect resources and the Earth's natural capital, we shall not be able to sustain economic growth". Unfortunately today the data shows that the 3 legged stool has one VERY broken leg - our global environment.

The statistics set out in this motion show a global eco-system that is collapsing. We have failed to get CO2 emissions under control and the Ecological Footprint, which measures our consumption of resources and the waste produced, shows clearly that in western countries and indeed Hounslow we are using the resources of about three planets - three times our fair share. That is why we believe this council must have the ambition to set out a 20 year road map to establish a one planet economy in Hounslow with year on year targets.

In recent years my studies have taken me to parts of the world where I have seen at first hand the collapse of coral reef systems as sea temperature rises. This personal experience is backed up by research of many scientists around the world.

Of greater concern the Hadley Centre, Europe's leading research body on climate change predicts an average rise in global temperatures of between 2.4 and 5.4C. But in Africa temperature rises over many areas will be double the global average.

Emerging analysis by the Stern Review of the economic impact of climate change shows that as many as 67 million more people could be at risk of malaria and cholera by the 2080s. Some scenarios suggest 182 million could die in sub-Saharan Africa. As a result huge sections of the population may be on the move.

The UK floods in the Autumn of 2000 led to an insurance payout of £1bn.

Closer to home the Thames barrier is being tested as never before with ever more frequent usage - and may well need to rise daily by 2050.

So colleagues we must work together to shape and deliver a radical programme of action. If not we will have blood on our hands this time next year, forget four years time!

The most important element of the motion is that we commit to putting in place a comprehensive Climate Change Strategy by the end of 2006. This would be supported by a broader environmental sustainability strategy by the end of 2008.

Woking is a leading example of a Council that has produced a Climate Change Strategy on a scale that is likely to meet The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution targets of a 60 per cent reduction of CO2 equivalent emissions by 2050 and 80 per cent by 2100. We must learn from Woking and other leaders, so we don't just catch up, but Hounslow becomes a beacon, leading the charge.

Another crucial element of the proposal is to establish an "Environment and organisational responsibility partnership" linked to the Local Strategic Partnership that will drive action for environmental sustainability across Hounslow.

A fine example of the benefits this partnership could yield is local employer Sky. Working with The CarbonNeutral Company, Sky's carbon footprint has been calculated by measuring the CO2 equivalent emissions from its premises, company owned vehicles, business travel and waste to landfill. Sky has lowered its site-related operational emissions by 47% in the past 18 months and is using 100% renewable energy at its sites in England and Wales alongside combined heat and power in Scotland it is also installing automatic lighting sensors in its buildings.

Hounslow's environmental partnership would promote great ideas like this throughout the community which will be essential if we are to make a serious dent in our CO2 emissions.

Ultimately this motion is not about more work or cost, this is about doing things in different ways so that we integrate an understanding of our environmental impacts into our decision making.

We have consulted widely on this motion and would like to thank those that have fed back ideas that we incorporated.

Everyone of us is a leader in our community. Leadership today means we must grasp hold of this climate change challenge.

Vote for the motion so you can look the next generation in the eyes and in all honesty say we are doing all we can.

I look forward to a constructive and reasoned debate.