What could you say to the RBWM Environment and Climate Strategy Consultation

The deadline for submitting your comments to the critical RBWM Environment and Climate Strategy Consultation on 29 September 2020. What are the key points and, what could you say?

This article will help you
* Identify some of the key omissions from the draft RBWM Environment & Climate Strategy
* With ideas of how to complete each section in the consultation
*The deadline for submitting your comments to the Consultation is 6pm on 29 September 2020
*To find our “how to” make a submission click here

The RBWM Environment & Climate Strategy covers issues such as; achieving zero Carbon status; protecting Biodiversity, and; eliminating single-use plastics.

However, the strategy sets out what RBWM considers the issues and objectives in a confusing manner, repackaging and representing these issues in the form of; Energy; Transport; Circular Economy; Natural Capital

I applaud the detailed work done so far by Cllr Stimson and officers but, there are some critical omissions.

And remember, this is why you should respond and take further action;

Critical omissions from the RBWM Environment & Climate Strategy

Here is my view of some of the critical omissions – click here to find out what others are saying

Bring the target date to achieve back to 2030 – Net-Zero Carbon Emissions
The annual targets for the reduction of Carbon emissions need to be far greater in the earlier years – Net-Zero Carbon Emissions
We must be ambitious and apply all plans directly to RBWM assets including its Joint Venture and Commercial Companies and, facilitate and encourage residents and businesses to achieve the same – Scope: application to everyone and everything in the Borough
Decarbonise all transport in and over the Borough – Net-Zero Carbon Emissions
We must prepare and help residents prepare for known changes to UK weather including extreme heat and increased flooding – Climate Change Resilience
Our ambition for Biodiversity should be for rigorous protection of what we’ve got and, large scale habitat restoration and recreation including urban greening and, no building on greenbelt (immediate stop)
We must develop baseline studies and detailed assessments for each of these areas – Proveable Methodology
We must develop metrics so we can measure our baseline, evaluate each proposal, and prove our achievement – relying on out of date ONS estimates for the country will not give us any clarity on achievement – Proveable Methodology
All of RBWM’s policies and reporting should be geared towards the objectives in the Environment and Climate Strategy especially Planning Regulations – Building for the future
As our four objectives (Net-Zero Carbon Emissions, Biodiversity, Climate Change Resilience, Pollution) need to be applied to every area of operation and responsibility. To ensure that we can do this, all officers, especially senior officers, should be equipped by funding training to a high level on the four core issues and metrics. I am a great believer that if we train them, our officers will come up with the ideas to push us further. Let’s make them the environment and climate change evangelists.

PS To dive deeper into these issues, and for some of the science, read through some of my Back up Blogs below.

Some other points to consider

In my view, we can achieve an objective by;

Set out positive plans to achieve objective e.g. plant more trees
Set out defensive measures e.g. prevent builders and residents from chopping down trees without equivalent replacements
Multiply the effect of your policies through education and helping residents also achieve the policies themselves e.g. encourging residents to identify trees that should have a Tree Protection Order on them
Magnify the achievements by collaborating with residents, scientists & academia, neighbouring authorities, businesses etc..Ensuring you apply your policies to everything in your power e.g. scientists (ecologists) could specify a strategy of which trees and where; businesses could get involved with providing RFID chips to tag and document all trees
Funding: raise funds to help achieve the objectives e.g. issue a Tree Bond to investors, call for Tree Philanthropists etc..
Resources: Ensure we have sufficient resources and qualified people in place e.g. recruit more Tree Officers

So how can we include these critical omissions and other important positive and suggestions contributions?

And now for a brief interlude | Photo by Dan Freeman on Unsplash

Format of the response form

The response form is not easy to complete as it contains a mix of free form responses and multiple-choice questions which are squeezed into the format of the strategy and its four themes of Energy; Transport; Circular Economy; Natural Capital

The form contains 15 questions broken down into 43 parts with, 19 Freeform questions and, 24 multiple-choice questions.

The questions where you can say what you think more freely are;

Question 1: Do you have any suggestions for improving our vision for the borough?
Question 5: Is there a specific approach or issue to consider when devising a revised Paris-agreement aligned trajectory?
Question 8: Are there actions that the Royal Borough could undertake in the next five years you believe are vital to the success of the strategy that have not been included?
Question 9: Are there any additional criteria you would like to see included to improve our approach?

OK. Are you ready for this?

Filling in consultation’s response forms

I will only include suggestions to questions where we can add value to the development and implementation of the Council’s strategy.

Question 1: Do you have any suggestions for improving our vision for the borough?
- Include any ideas you have not included in Qs 5, 8, & 9 which could include
- Bring the target date to achieve back to 2030 (Zero-carbon objectives)
- We must be ambitious and apply all plans directly to RBWM assets including its Joint Venture and Commercial Companies and, facilitate and encourage residents and businesses to achieve the same – (Scope: application to everyone and everything in the Borough)
- Develop and apply metrics that allow us to calculate the carbon emission value of each asset in our asset base and, also the carbon emission or reduction value of each and every plan, action, and decisions taken by the Council (Zero-carbon objectives)
- Given that 10% of Carbon emissions are generated by the use of land for rearing livestock, which also generates methane, we should produce a plan to promote and encourage a plant-based diet through education, training, and working with farmers and retailers (Zero-carbon objectives)
- Amend our Joint Minerals & Waste Plan (JMWP) to include green economy materials such as wood (All objectives)
- Review all policies, plans and documents e.g. JMWP are framed to also deliver our objectives for zero-carbon, biodiversity restoration, climate change resilience and, elimination of single use plastics (Zero Carbon, Biodiversity, Climate Change Resilience, Pollution)
- Develop plans for all of areas identified by the Centre for Alternative Technology, in proportion to carbon emission value to include;
  - Heat and Power for buildings (40% carbon emissions)
    - Switch to a renewable energy tariff
    - Change heating from oil and gas to electric
    - Reduce power usage in buildings
    - Install energy saving devices and constructions
    - Generate renewable energy
    - Lobby government to accelerate the switch to renewable energy
  - Vehicles and transport (40% carbon emissions)
    - Stop/prevent the use of petrol and diesel vehicles
    - Switch to electric vehicles
    - Use public transport
    - Walk and cycle more
    - Fly a lot less
    - Lobby government to increase funding for electric vehicles and green public transport
  - Land use (10% carbon emissions)
    - Eat less meat and more plant-based foods
    - Waste less food especially meat
    - Plant a lot more trees
    - Create more habitat for carbon-capturing ecosystems
    - Stop building on green spaces
  - Industrial aspects (10% carbon emissions)
    - Stop building on green spaces
    - Reduce the use and leakage from gas pipelines and super greenhouse gases from fridges and aerosols.
    - Switch from cement to plant-based building materials
- Develop a Climate Change Resilience plan to include, inter alia, (Climate Change Resilience)
  - Planting more trees and, considering planting type and fire breaks – this will absorb rainfall and reduce local flooding
  - Prevent building on any flood plains and green spaces
  - Prevent the loss of green spaces such as front and rear gardens – this will prevent an increase in surface water run off exacerbating local flooding
  - Weatherproofing buildings to cope with extreme heat
  - Stipulating building regulations that allow residents and building users to exist comfortably
  - Invest in flood mitigation schemes such as the River Thames Scheme
  - Build water storage facilities or secure water supply for food producers
  - Build roads to survive high temperatures and localised flooding
  - Create community emergency plans
  - Facilitate useful, green, low cost, climate-resilient transportation
  - Implement water saving concepts and devices
  - Faciltate residents and businesses achieving all of the above through education, grants, collaborations, prizes, and conferences
Question 5: Is there a specific approach or issue to consider when devising a revised Paris-agreement aligned trajectory?
- Big reductions in early years i.e. a logarithmic
- See proposed trajectory produced by RBWM Climate Emergency Coalition
  What our carbon emissions target need to be | Graph courtesy of RBWM Climate & Emergency Coalition
Question 7a: Do you agree with the key action of the Circular Economy theme? (To review household waste collection regime to deliver increases in recycling) – No
Question 7b: If you do not agree with the key action for the Circular Economy theme, then what should it be? To create a holistic programme that works with residents, retailers, and waste collection to work towards reductions in waste to zero and increases in recycling
Question 7c: Do you agree with the key action of the Energy theme? (To work with residents/businesses to enable them to reduce carbon emissions in their buildings and review planning policy to improve the energy efficiency of new builds) – No
Question 7d: If you do not agree with the key action for the Energy theme, then what should it be? To work with residents/businesses to enable them to reduce carbon emissions in their buildings, switch to renewable energy suppliers, generate renewable energy, change planning policy to mandate zero-carbon emmissions from new builds.
Question 7e: Do you agree with the key action of the Natural Environment theme? (To implement a new Natural Capital programme to deliver 10% biodiversity net gain (Definition: Natural Capital refers to the physical, natural resources such as forests, rivers, land and the benefits that these resources provide)) – No
Question 7f: If you do not agree with the key action for the Natural Environment theme, then what should it be?
- Our ambition for Biodiversity should be for rigorous protection of what we’ve got and, large scale habitat restoration and recreation including urban greening and, no building on greenbelt (immediate stop)
- Conduct the baseline studies to identify habitat and each of the species (our asset base)***
- Develop and apply metrics that allow us to calculate the biodiversity value of each asset (e.g. each tree) in our biodiversity asset base e.g. the work of Cllr Da Costa with Natural England can help facilitate this and, help developers submit planning application with greater certainty for all***
- Identify which ranges of species and habitat we should target for restoration***
- Prepare and implement a plan, a thorough Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) to include wildlife corridors,
- Harness businesses and residents in a citizen science program
- Create natural capital and urban greening progame in a way that fits in with the BAP
- Stop building on the green belt and green spaces including Maidenhead Golf Course and edge of settlement areas between Windsor and Holyport
- Facilitate and develop Citizen Science programs with TVERC and other biodiversity databases, and designed by scientists and ecologistscitizen science
- Include robust requirements for developers to create large amounts of habitat which can be repurposed as the BAP is developed
- Develop a strategy that addresses all land in the Borough with plans to work with landowners to achieve biodiversity net gain across all areas, not just those opportunities that appear through the planning process
- Focus on Priority Habitats, coupled with targets for priority species, as the best vehicle to deliver biodiversity net gain. Ensure that these sites are effectively monitored to ensure they all achieve net biodiversity gain *^{Wild Groups}
- Engage much more proactively with local environmental groups to develop and implement local biodiversity action plans. Support these groups to conduct species and habitat surveys, write wildlife conservation management plans , run conservation work parties *^{Wild Groups}
- Create a Biodiversity Specialist group involving the Council, environmental groups and local experts *^{Wild Groups}
- Conduct a review of priority species records by January 2021, including the 128 priority species noted by Wild Maidenhead’s Maidenhead’s Nature Matters report *^{Wild Groups}
- Set up a deeper relationship with TVERC (Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre) to ensure up to date ecological data is provided to help inform planning decisions and to enable the Council to report annually on its biodiversity performance *^{Wild Groups}
- Ensure that all Local Wildlife Sites (LWS) are positively managed to conserve and enhance the site in line with the criteria set for them and are surveyed at least every five years. *^{Wild Groups}
- Implement a Pollinator Action Plan for RBWM in partnership with local environmental bodies and beekeepers to help deliver increases in pollinator populations locally. This could be along the limes of the Buglife B-Lines initiative.

*** This has to be done working with scientists, local authorities, specialist interest groups, and DEFRA (there is much funding available from Defra via say Reading University!!!)

Question 7g: Do you agree with the key action of the Transport theme? (To prepare a new Local Transport Plan to support carbon reduction targets) – No
Question 7h: If you do not agree with the key action for the Transport theme, then what should it be?
- To work with neighboring local authorities to create a low cost, green, integrated, regional transport plan with zero-carbon emissions
- To prepare a new Local Transport Plan to target zero-carbon emissions by 2030, which fits in the regional solution
- Use available laws to deter vehicles powered by fossil fuels and, use those funds to pay for the Environment & Climate Strategy
Question 8: Are there actions that the Royal Borough could undertake in the next five years you believe are vital to the success of the strategy that have not been included? – No
Question 9: Are there any additional criteria you would like to see included to improve our approach?
- Pursue carbon capture through the large-scale development of habitat and tree planting. However, we need to ensure we map, log, assess (for Carbon storage, carbon sequestration and biodiversity value), protect every tree in the Borough, measure tree loss (e.g. due to land clearance and disease) and, plant sufficient trees whose total value (Carbon storage, carbon sequestration and biodiversity value) are massively in excess of the carbon loss (assumed emitted) plus carbon sequestration loss plus biodiversity loss.
- Deep collaboration with residents including the creation of a Citizens Assembly programme such as the one being discussed by Cllr Wisdom Da Costa with Professor Tom Oliver and Defra
- Deep collaboration with scientists and authorities such as the work of Cllr Da Costa with Natural England to help facilitate the development and use of Blue and Green Infrastructure Indicators ***
- All of RBWM’s policies and reporting should be geared towards the objectives in the Environment and Climate Strategy especially Planning Regulations
- As our four objectives (Net-Zero Carbon Emissions, Biodiversity, Climate Change Resilience, Pollution) need to be applied to every area of operation and responsibility. To ensure that we can do this, all officers, especially senior officers, should be equipped by funding training to a high level on the four core issues and metrics. I am a great believer that if we train them, our officers will come up with the ideas to push us further. Let’s make them the environment and climate change evangelists.
- Create a Fundraising team to actively secure funding from;
  - External sources such as DEFRA
  - Working with Academia to find fully funded opportunities that fit in with our strategy e.g. the work of Cllr Wisdom Da Costa with Professor Tom Oliver from the University of Reading
  - Implement congestion charging in Windsor and Maidenhead
  - Tax beneficial securities
  - Local businesses
  - Local philanthropists
  - Increasing S106 and CIL rate, especially in areas where pollution
- Pursue carbon capture through the large-scale development of habitat and tree planting. However, we need to ensure we map, log, assess (for Carbon storage, carbon sequestration and biodiversity value), protect every tree in the Borough, measure tree loss (e.g. due to land clearance and disease) and, plant sufficient trees whose total value (Carbon storage, carbon sequestration and biodiversity value) are massively in excess of the carbon loss (assumed emitted) plus carbon sequestration loss plus biodiversity loss.

I hope you find this useful.

Remember, if you need help, go to the HELP section below

Please, please, please respond to the RBWM Environment and Climate Strategy Consultation on 29 September 2020

Accountably yours

Wisdom

Cllr Wisdom Da Costa

Co-Deputy Vice-Chair, RBWM Cross Party Climate Change Panel

Back up Bogs

Click on the links

Where to go for HELP

It would be best to visit the following Facebook pages

East Berkshire Green Party – https://www.facebook.com/Eastberksgp/
RBWM Climate Emergency Coalition – https://www.facebook.com/groups/RBWMCEC/
WWRA – https://www.facebook.com/westwindsorresidents/
Wild Maidenhead – https://www.facebook.com/groups/wildmaidenhead/

References, credits, and back up material

Photo by Dan Freeman on Unsplash
Carbon Emissions Guidelines – https://www.westwindsorresidentsassociation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Carbon-Emissions-Guidelines-20200909.pdf
RBWM Wilds Team notes on the climate consultation – https://www.westwindsorresidentsassociation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/RBWM-Wilds-Team-notes-on-the-climate-consultation-1.pdf
Further credits on blogs at

Caveat and further comments

Wisdom has based these comments on training courses (TCPA, Centre for Alternative Technology), Research (see links below) and discussions with local activists and, many sessions with professors of biodiversity and climate change.
As Co-Vice Chair of RBWM’s Cross Party Climate Change Panel, he and Cllr Davies have been making the key points for nearly a year now but, as you can see, they have not been taken on board.
This post is part of the WWRA Councillors regular series of Blogs to inform and empower local residents; as promised in their election leaflet
It is also to comply with clause v of the Members Code of Conduct which states, “You must be as open as possible about your decisions and actions and the decisions and actions of your authority and should be prepared to give reasons for those decisions and actions.”
The views expressed in this article are not necessarily the views of the West Windsor Residents Association (WWRA).
Any errors are unintentional so, I would value you bringing them to my intention so I can correct them. You can Email me cllr.dacosta@rbwm.gov.uk