Congratulations Martin Salter MP, who after seeing the film ‘An Inconvenient Truth, said we need to do something about climate change. He wrote about it in his ‘Week in Westminster’ column. It’s takensome time but I welcome his conversion. He stated that ‘if we were lucky we would halt the rise in temperature at 2 degrees’. The Government’s chief scientist, Sir David King, said that that limiting temperature rises to less than 2 degrees Celsius is all but impossible without radical, immediate international action. A two-degree warming would make heat waves like those experienced in Europe in the summer of 2003 the norm, he warned. So we wouldn’t be lucky with a two-degree rise in temperature, we would be in trouble.

We should do something now. Locally; stop-wasting money on a one-way IDR that could be better spent encouraging more sustainable forms of transport like cycling, walking and buses. Instead of knocking down buildings like the Civic Centre and Hexagon we should try and refurbish them, the energy cost of rebuilding after 35 years is too great. On a more regional scale; stop expanding airports, and let air fares reflect the true cost of the pollution caused, it should be cheaper to get a bus or train than to fly. Still 35% of our electricity is produced from coal burnt in old inefficient power stations, requiring developers to supply 35% of the energy needs of new developments from on-site renewables would see more solar panels on roofs. I would recommend everyone should watch Al Gores film ‘An Inconvenient Truth‘, to learn more about the issue. The real inconvenient truth in the UK is that this government has seen Carbon emissions increase despite all their promises. Instead of thinking only about the how much something costs, we should think about the impact on the environment and future generations. If we can’t change rhetoric into action we will all be in trouble.

Adrian Windisch
www.readinggreenparty.org.uk
18 Kent Road Reading, RG30 2EJ
0118 9567190
07802 671606