newsletterFeb-March 2013

a greener energy future?

continued on page 6

What do we need to do to secure a clean green and affordable energy future? On 19th February we’re holding a panel discussion with the University of Birmingham People & Planet Society to answer that very question. With the Energy Bill currently going through parliament, we stand at a crucial point in the UK’s energy policy. So come and join us to discuss what is needed, and help us put pres-sure on our politicians to make sure it happens!The discussion, which forms part of the Clean British Energy campaign and the Energy Bill Revolution, will

CLEAN BRITISH ENERGY

Energy We Can All AffordPanel Discussion on a Greener Energy Future

19th February, 7pm

Guild Council Chambers, University of Birmingham, Guild of Students

2

contents

3 - campaign digest 5 - in the media6 -a greener energy future? (continued from front page)7 - guest article - University of Birmingham People & Planet Society 8 - let’s get moving 9 - 2013: the year of air11 - wheelie bin roll out12- building on greenbelt15 - the big green debate - is biomass a sustainable energy source?18 - shale gas - what’s really going on20 - volunteer spotlight21 - become a supporter22 - diary23 - contacts

3

campaigns’ digest

Hello and welcome to the first campaigns’ digest of the year! Winter notwithstanding, we’ve been continuing our hard work at the campaigning coalface over the past couple of months preparing for events as part of the Clean British Energy cam-paign, as well as developing our new local campaign: Let’s Get Moving. As always there’s plenty going on, so if you want to get involved with any of the issues we mention in this issue, just get in touch!

Energy & Climate Change

The pre-Christmas announcements around the Autumn Statement and the Energy Bill confirmed our worst fears about the Government’s intentions with regards to clean energy and the “dash for gas”. The lack of a decarbonisation target and government subsidies for shale gas make even more of a mockery of the Government’s claim to be the ‘greenest government ever’. We will be continuing to work hard on the Clean British Energy campaign over the next couple of months, as we are lobby our constituency MPs on the Ener-gy Bill. We will also beholding a panel discussion - “Energy We Can All Afford” - on renewable energy and fuel poverty on 19th February as well as an exhibition

of renewable energy photographs from 18th-22nd February. Both of these are open to everyone and take place at the University of Birmingham Guild of Students.

Transport

We’re continuing to develop our new transport campaign, Let’s Get Moving, and are asking individuals for their travel-to-work diaries as well as getting in touch with local organisations to ask for their top three transport asks for Birmingham. See the article on Let’s Get Moving for

more details on this. Just before the Christmas break we thanked Birmingham City Council for passing the motion on 20 mph, with a giant Christmas card. This was presented to Councillors David Willis and Paula Smith, as well as Cabinet Member James McKay. We hope this Christmas

4

campaigns’ digest

card served as a reminder about the Council’s commitment, and that we see progress on 20mph in this year!

Planning

As we went to press for the last newsletter, we again had news about the ASDA Stirchley proposals. This time the news was not as good, as the supermarket are appealing the Council planning committee’s decision to reject the proposals. Needless to say we will be monitoring developments on this closely. There was further bad news on the planning front as new plans for a Sainsbury’s

on Selly Oak Battery Park were unveiled, with no mention of the canal regeneration included in initial plans. As this was one of the few positive aspects of the recent Selly Oak regeneration schemes, its removal is also a worrying development. You can find more details of the plans and put forward your views at http://sellyoak-regeneration.co.uk/

Waste

Birmingham City Council received an early Christmas present when they were granted £28.5 million from the Department for Com-munities and Local Government towards the cost of introducing wheelie bin waste collections. The Council will be consulting on the proposals and initially trialling the scheme in two wards. We’re a little disappointed that the bid and the new scheme doesn’t include food waste collection, however we will be looking at the proposals in detail and producing our own response very soon. The Council is also reviewing its overall waste strategy for the coming years. With the Tysley In-cinerator contract up for renewal in 2018, now is the time to really change how we deal with waste towards a much more sustainable approach. Julien Pritchard

5

in the media

Recent media coverage has been dominated by John Newson’s achievement of producing just one bin bag of rubbish for all of 2012. However, that’s not all the coverage we’ve had recently, with two letters in the Birmingham Post and a radio interview.

We managed to get a good sized letter in the Birmingham Post in response to the paper’s slightly critical article of the 20mph motion recently passed by the Council. I argued that 20mph does not have to be expensive, and comes with many benefits, making roads safer and less daunting for pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users, as well as improving quality of life for residents.

In December, the Birmingham Post reported on proposals for a new Cable Car between Moor Street and New Street stations. This prompted another letter to the Post pointing out that money would be better spent improving transport links, especially rail lines, to the city centre and across Birmingham, rather than a city centre vanity project.

I was also interviewed by Unity FM, on their Friday night Fusion show, about the potential of a second runway at Birmingham Airport, arguing the case against

such expansion on the basis of an increased tourism deficit and the detriment to the local economy.

However, by the far the biggest news story recently was John Newson’s one bin bag for 2012. At the beginning of last year, our Waste Campaigner set himself the challenge of producing only one bin bag of rubbish for all of 2012, and we are pleased to report that he achieved this feat.

His success was reported in a plethora of news outlets locally, nationally and internationally. John’s success was reported in our local Birmingham Mail, nationally in the Daily Mirror, the Daily Mail, the Express, and the Times, and internationally in Spanish paper El Mundo. John was also interviewed on BBC WM, Central News, and Sky News, as well as ABC Radio Melbourne.

We’re obviously very pleased with John’s success and the media splash he’s made. Whilst John found he could recycle or find a use for almost everything, it was often neither easy nor convenient, and we hope that, with the Council about to review their waste strategy, this leads to more a more sustainable approach to waste in the future! Julien Pritchard

tackle the issues of fuel poverty and renewable energy, asking what we need to do to move forward on both these vital subjects.Our panel is being chaired by Graeme Brown, Editor of the Birmingham Post, and features some of the most knowledgeable speakers, including Friends of the Earth Energy Campaigner Guy Shrubsole MP for Selly Oak Steve McCabe, Lorraine Gumbs from Warm Zones and more to be confirmed! Each speaker will be outlining what they’d most like to see from energy policy locally or globally, as well as answering searching questions from our audience.The panel discussion starts at 7pm in the Guild of Students’ Council Cham-bers at the University of Birmingham. The discussion is free to attend, but we’re asking people to register beforehand if possible, so we have an idea of numbers! Go to our website to register your attendance.Alongside this, we’re also holding photo exhibition of inspiring pictures of renewable energy showcasing the best entries to a competition organised run by Friends of the Earth and Good Energy. The exhibition will be on all week from the 18th-22nd February in the Guild of Students. These events feature as part of a People & Planet’s Go Green Week at the University of Birmingham. Check out their Facebook

event page to see what other amazing events and activities they have lined up!

See you at the discussion, and thank you for helping us cam-paign for a clean green and affordable energy future!

Julien Pritchard

6

a greener energy future? continued from front page

7

The University of Birmingham People & Planet Society is one of many People & Planet groups that make up the largest student network in the UK, campaigning to end world poverty, defend human rights and protect the environment.

As a group, we are running successful campaigns, against Tar Sands and the Buy Right Campaign, which aims to improve the rights of garment manufacturers in developing countries. We are also setting up practical spin-off projects such as a Food Co-op and the Green Bike Project.

On 18th-22nd February, University of Birmingham People and Planet will be hosting our annual Go Green Week. Go Green Week is a national week with universities up and down the country participating through the People and Planet net-work.

The Old Joe Clocktower face will turn green for another year running, as a whole host of events and activities get underway to promote environmental behaviour, education, and activism. We are partnering up with many other societies and organisations to bring what we hope to be the biggest and best Go Green Week we have ever co-ordinated. You can see what will be going on

during the week listed below...Monday 18th:•Free veggie burgers given away to students on their walk to campus to promote eating less meat. •6-8pm: Green Economics with Molly Scott Cato, Green Party economics spokesperson.Tuesday 19th:•Trips to Northfield Eco Centre. •5-7pm: A talk by Engineers Without Borders on poverty and sustainability, and how engineers can provide some ethical solutions.•7-9pm: People and Planet with Birmingham Friends of the Earth - “Energy We Can All Afford - A Greener Energy Future?” - including Guy Shrubsole, Friends of the Earth energy campaigner, MP for Selly Oak Steve McCabe, and Lorraine Gumbs from Warm Zones, as well as other speakers who are still to be confirmed.Wednesday 20th:•11-3pm: Ethical & Environmental Careers Fair. •6-7pm: Education for Sustainable Development campaign talk and the Green Bike Project Student Co-operative.Thursday 21st:•2-4pm: Love Food Hate Waste teaches you how to reduce food waste.

guest article-The University of Birmingham People & Planet Society

Birmingham Friends of the Earth are currently developing a new local campaign, ‘Let’s Get Moving’, which aims to improve low-carbon trans-port in Birmingham, encourage more sustainable travel and reduce air pollution.

As part of this, we want to know more about how people currently commute to work, school, college, or university, why they travel in this way, and what they like or dislike about it. We would like people to write diaries about their journey, which will be posted on our website as blogs.

We hope the blogs will provide an insight into people’s views on more environmentally friendly transport methods, such as cycling and walking, and the provisions

that exist for them, and why people chose to travel the way they do.

Alongside this, we are asking local businesses, charities, community and faith groups to contribute their top three priorities for improving transport in Birmingham. We want to know what three things are of most concern to local organisations when it comes to transport in Birmingham. Both will feed into our campaign as we develop it, and help us to campaign for transport that ben-efits all Brummies. Organisations can send their top three transport asks to campaigns@birming-hamfoe.org.uk and individuals can get more information about travel diaries and send entries to michaela@birminghamfoe.org.uk. Michaela Hodges

8

let’s get moving

•5-6pm: Session on the exciting new Student Housing Co-op that is being set up.Friday 22nd:•Idle No More action in the City Centre in solidarity with the Canadian First Nations communities affected by the Tar Sands. •5-6pm: How to get to a Zero Emissions UK in an interactive workshop led by undergraduate engineers.Saturday 23rd:•Trip to the Centre for Alternative Technology.

Please do come along to these events and go to the ‘University of Birmingham People and Planet Society’ Facebook Page for full Go Green Week 2013 event details and updates.

If you’re a student, we hold meetings every Wednesday 3-4pm, meeting at Guild Reception. Go to the ‘University of Birmingham People and Planet Society’ Facebook group to keep updated. We can also help you set up your own P&P group like at BCU!

Alice Swift

9

The European Commission has designated 2013 as the ‘Year of Air’, with new proposals on improving air quality across Europe. So, now is the perfect time for Birmingham Friends of the Earth to be launching our local campaign, Let’s Get Moving, which will highlight the impact our fossil-fuel based transport system has on air quality, and consequently our health.

The majority of people are aware of the effect that carbon dioxide emissions from transport has on global warming. However, there is far less awareness about the levels of other noxious pollutants, for example, the European Environment Agency (EEA) found that more than 95% of city residents in the European Union regularly breathe ozone levels that exceed the World Health Organisation’s recommended levels.

The disturbing truth is that Birmingham’s citizens are exposed to a potent mix of harmful chemicals in the air on a daily basis directly from the exhausts of cars, taxis and buses, including sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, black carbon and fine particulate matter.

Worryingly, these chemicals increase mortality and illness, with children, the elderly and people with existing respiratory problems particularly

at risk. They are a major cause of heart and lung disease, irritate our skin and eyes, and many are carcinogenic. Only smoking causes more early deaths than air pollution in the UK. Who knew?!

There are a number of laws in place to protect the public from dangerous levels of pollution, such as the Clean Air Act and the Air Quality Framework Directive; however, most local authorities are consistently in breach of legal limits.

Let’s Get Moving will be about raising public awareness, engaging with politicians, organisations and individuals to act and, most importantly, offering solutions.

Here’s my top 5 transport asks to kick off the debate:•Expand 20 mph zones to all residential areas•Encourage public transport use by introducing an ‘Oyster Card’ style smart card across the train, bus and tram network•Put pressure on bus companies to clean up their bus fleets by ensuring that all new buses are low emission hybrid, hydrogen or electric models•Invest in suburban rail services; reopening the stations on the South Birmingham line between Kings Norton and Moor Street•Make cycling safer and more attractive by ex-panding Birmingham’s network of ‘Greenways’, improving cycling infrastructure and encouraging ‘bike trains’Robert Pass

2013: the year of air

10

Sales, service, repairs, accessories. Bikes also built to your own specifications.

Open Monday & Wednesday to Saturday, 10am-5pm

0121 633 0730

SPROCKETCycle s

Established over 15 years ago in the Friends of the Earth Building in Birmingham The Warehouse Café has a reputation as a quality provider of vegetarian and vegan food in Birmingham.

“Real people serving real food with local, organic and fair trade leading the way” Guardian Unlimited.

To see the delicious menu go to www.thewarehousecafe.com

For bookings and enquires

Telephone 0121 633 0261

Email info@thewarehousecafe.com

• 100% vegetarian and vegan;• A large selection of organic

and fairtrade products, most supplied and delivered by a workers co-operative;

• Vegan owners - no meat or dairy products sold.

Open • Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat

10am - 5:30pm,• Thurs 10am - 6:30pm,• Sun 11am - 3pm.

The shops and companies here have all come together because they are dedicated to working towards a healthier, more organic city.

So if you want to help make Birmingham a cleaner, greener place to live, or you just want to eat some good vegetarian food, then come to The Warehouse and see what’s going on.

warehouse

11

wheelie bins roll out

Birmingham will soon come into line with other urban areas, in providing its house-holders with wheeled bins for their waste collections. The City Council has received a grant from Central Government to introduce a three-bin system: a recycling bin, a garden waste bin, and a “residual” rubbish bin.

Their reasons are mainly to do with tidiness, i.e. not having piles of bags in the streets, splitting and being torn open by animals. A large capacity recycling bin will prevent plastic and paper from blowing down the street and encourage more recyclables to be stored and collected. Equally, the rat population should drop when they cannot get at the food waste. Not only this, but there will be a cost saving in not having to distribute millions of rubbish bags every year.

The system will be trialled in two city wards, to see what kinds

of bins are suited to different types of household. There is a video with more information at http://birminghamnewsroom.com/2012/12/wheeled-bins-your-questions-answered

Birmingham Friends of the Earth is saying that a new bin system should allow for separate food waste collection. In Wales, this is normal, as it moves towards its goal of 70% of household waste to be composted or recycled. We recently had a lively discussion meeting about Anaerobic Digestion (AD) of food waste to make gas, which is already in operation for households in Sandwell district, (as photo) where it has helped the recycling rate of the area jump to 53%. Birmingham is stuck down at 32% so needs to change if its new 60% target is to become realistic.

The City Council will be holding a Waste Scrutiny Review in early 2013, to look ahead to the end of its waste contract with Veolia in 2018. Birmingham has a great chance to put in place a system in the next few years that is clean, green and costs council-tax pay-ers less, by treating our waste as a resource, not something to be burned and buried. At least every-one seems to be talking about this issue!

John Newson

12

building on greenbelt

Before Christmas, Birming-ham City Council announced plans to build around 4,000 new homes on greenbelt in the Sutton Coldfield area. As Birmingham Friends of the Earth, we disagree with the premise of building on green-belt and it being necessary in the first place. One of the great successes of the environmental movement in the latter part of the 20th century has been win-ning the argument over protect-ing the greenbelt, to the extent that it has often been taboo to even consider developing on it in the first place. The fact that Bir-mingham City Council is propos-ing this, shows that the greenbelt is now considered up for grabs again.

The Council stated that we need 80,000 new homes by 2031. This is partly because of the new National Planning Policy Framework, which requires Local Authorities to have a 20% over-supply of land for housing, but also because the Council is projecting a population increase of 150,000 by 2031. Birmingham City Council claimed that this cannot be done without building 4,000 homes in the Sutton greenbelt.

Those in favour of greenbelt development may argue that protecting it is a luxury that was

fine when our city’s population was declining, but now that it is increasing we need to develop it. This argument, much like the argument which states that environmentalism and action on climate change is a luxury for the economic good times, is seriously missing the point.

So, why is it so important to protect the greenbelt? Is it just a luxury and a sacred cow of the environmental movement, or are there good solid reasons for leaving it untouched? If any-thing, the reasons for protecting the greenbelt are even stronger than they were in the past. On a very simple level, the greenbelt restricts the size of the built up area. It also absorbs organic nutrients from the city, its trees help reduce winds, and it acts to absorb rain and thereby help prevent flooding. If the area is developed, impermeable structures such as roads and roof space will increase flood risk. In the future, in order to grow our food more sustainably, we will need to use the greenbelt to produce the city’s food. This is not something we can do if we have built on it!

However even if we have established that the greenbelt is still worth protecting, is the need to use it not greater? Well to start with, the

13

Council’s population projections showing continuing growth, are based on the growth in popula-tion that has occurred over the past 10 years. However, in the 40 years before this, Birmingham’s population decreased by 40,000 and the growth in population over

the past 10 years has only partly replaced this lost population. While there may be a population in-crease over the next two decades, it is unlikely to be as much as the surge in population in 2001-2011, which was due to special factors that are unlikely to be repeated in the future.

One of these factors was the accession

of so many new countries to the EU. This unprecedented expansion did lead to an influx of migrant workers from Eastern Europe. However, while new countries may accede to the European Union in the future, it will not be quite so many in so short a space of time. The other factor that significantly increased Birmingham’s population in the last decade, was the expansion of higher education and the creation of new universities and new university places. However, again, this was a one-off that is unlikely to be repeated on such a scale again.

If there is a population increase over the next few years, how do we plan for it without using any greenbelt land at all? One thing to consider is Birmingham’s population and housing densities, which are actually quite low compared to other cities in the UK and the EU. Birmingham’s population density fell between the 1950s and the 1980s, as people moved out of the old back-to-backs and they were demolished. Now, whilst we wouldn’t advocate a return to the packed poor quality housing of the past, it is possible to have high quality affordable homes and high-density living.

At less than 40 dwellings per hectare, Birmingham’s housing density is lower than the of around 70-100 dwellings per hectare of most other cities in the

14

building on greenbelt continued

rest of Europe. If we look at Birming-ham’s population density, it is 4,012 persons per square km, whereas Leicester’s population density is 4,494 per square km. If Birmingham had the same density as Leicester it could accommodate an extra 12% in population, which isn’t far off the increase in population predicted over the next 20 years.

These statistics mean that Birmingham is emptier than other cities, and we could fit more people in the existing area without the need to develop the greenbelt. Packing more people in doesn’t have to mean a lower quality of life; you only have to look at London and other European cities, to see how dense environments can work with parks and open space to be nice places in which to live.

Denser living environments are often thought to include flats and high rise, however, this does not have to mean poor quality homes. You only have to look at how parts of New York are constructed to see how high-rise living can work well. Denser living environments also mean that services such as transport and other amenities can be provided much more efficiently. This would be a problem if new suburbs were built on the outskirts of Sutton, largely disconnected from the city’s transport network, and therefore encouraging greater car use.

In terms of where we would build new houses within the existing city, there are currently a lot of vacant houses and disused sites, which could be brought back into use or re-developed. Also, with the switch to online shopping and home working there will be less need for retail and office space in the future, and so more space for residential properties. Former industrial sites such as the Gun Quarter and Cheapside could be re-generated for mixed use, with businesses and residential properties living side by side. This would be a much more sustainable approach to locating new business areas than building more out-of-town business parks which are only accessible by car.

The arguments for greenbelt development are based on inflated population projections, maintaining the city’s low pop-ulation and housing densities, and a lack of imagination when it comes to bringing disused sites and housing back into use. The Council should be looking at how other cities make much better use of their availability before it decides to start trampling over a greenbelt which has so much more value to us than as a space to build houses.

Julien Pritchard

Welcome to our second Big Green Debate! This time we are taking a look at the issues surrounding the use of biomass as a source of energy. Jacob Williams points out the concerns surrounding biomass energy whilst Robert Pass makes the case for its use.

Please note that there may be a certain level of devil’s advocate in this debate, and the views expressed may not be the real opinions of the writers. Julien Pritchard

15

the big green debate:

is biomass a sustainable energy source?

yesIf burning biomass releases carbon, how can that be a good thing?

Well, the key difference between biomass fuels and fossil fuel, is that burning fossil fuels releases carbon sequestered millions of years ago back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Burning biomass fuels however, releases contemporary carbon recently taken up by the growing plant. If wood fuel is sourced from well managed woodlands, then carbon released from the wood during combustion will be removed from the atmosphere as the remaining trees and seedlings photosynthesize.

Or so the theory goes. In practice, there are other energy inputs that affect this carbon-neutral balance, for example, emissions that arise from fertilizer production, harvesting, drying and transportation. So, if you use biomass wood it is vital to source your fuel from sustainable, local sources!

noBiomass boilers are increasingly being seen as a perfect solution for our heating needs whilst using a low carbon fuel, but this approach has some fundamental issues.

With biomass it’s all about where the fuel is coming from. The problem is the scale at which we are using biomass fuel. The use of biomass boilers has increased by 25% in the last two years. This planet has a finite amount of land and, no matter what we think, that land is not all for human use. So what we should first ask is, whether we have sufficient space to grow enough food to feed an ever increasing population. Adding to this that we as a race are still primarily omnivorous, means that we need to grow even more to feed livestock. We also still need to have the space to house the population, keep enough greenery around to live in a pleasing environment, as well as growing and harvesting biofuel crops.

16

This is not impossible, but it is getting more difficult as the demand for British timber far outstrips the supply. In the UK, total wood production is around 8.4 million (dry) tonnes a year. According to the Forestry Commission, the number of biomass fired power stations that are planned in the UK will lead to an increase in timber imports from 20 million tonnes now, to 50 million tonnes in 2015. Such a large new demand for wood is likely to mean more industrial tree plantations, more deforestation and more emissions.

Using biomass for large scale thermal electricity generation is nuts! Higher efficiencies are achieved in generating heat for small-scale local generation facilities. This can be sustainable if some golden rules are followed: the use of biomass must not outstrip domestically available biomass resources; biomass production must not interfere with wild-life or involve the diversion of land away from food production; biomass systems must use effective and well maintained filters. These filters capture carbon and other pollutants before they enter the atmosphere.

There are a number of companies that manufacture pellets or briquettes made from sawmill and arboriculture waste that has been produced in the UK. The combination of low moisture content and highly compressed material gives pellets a high volume energy density, typically three to four times that of wood chips.

Biomass is not a silver bullet. It will not even get close to replacing all of the fossil fuels the planet burns, either for electricity or to keep warm, but it can form a small part of the solution.Robert Pass

yes - continued

The combination of low moisture content and highly compressed material gives pellets a high volume energy density, typically three to four times that of wood chips.

17

We are already struggling with all these; food production and living space being basic needs, which are vital for our existence. The amount of the plant matter left for biofuel is also not self-renewable, because, again, the amount that plants self-renew in a year is finite, and that needs to be used for building, food production and medicinal needs.

The only way of using biomass in a sustainable way is by only using waste by-products from more valuable productions, as well as very well managed systems of forestry. If this is done, then it becomes conceivable that it could

be sustainable. However, experts say biomass boilers emit NOx (nitrogen oxides) and particulate emissions as well as human carcinogens. It does appear to be hypocritical that we are switching to using biomass boilers because our traditional fossil fuelled boilers pollute the air, when biomass emissions are hazardous themselves.

Estimates of the sustainable biomass energy potential for the UK or EU vary but it is certain that the figure is closer to 10% than 100% of total energy use. Furthermore, biomass supplies appear to be declining. For the world as a whole, carbon stocks in forest biomass decreased by an estimated 0.5 Gt annually during the period 2005–2010/12. Clearly, burning more of it won’t improve this situation.

In the same way that we would not be able to plant enough trees to offset the burning of fossil fuels, biomass is unsustainable. This is because it is unlikely we will be able to produce enough fuel because land space is finite and claims already exist on it, for example for farming, living space, and so on. In order to have truly sustainable energy our main aim should be to reduce energy use and demand, not to simply find new things to burn.Jacob Williams

no - continued

Experts say biomass boilers emit NOx (nitrogen oxides) and particulate emissions as well as human carcinogens.

18

shale gas – what’s really going on?

Following the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement announcing new tax incentives for shale gas exploitation, it was a disappointment but no great surprise when, in December, the Energy Secretary Ed Davey gave approval for hydraulic fracturing (fracking) for shale gas to resume.

Shale gas is conventional gas (methane) recovered by an unconventional method. The gas is trapped in pockets of rock. It is released by drilling a well and injecting fracking fluids: water and a number of chemicals, predominantly sand, biocides and friction inhibitors. The fluid blasts open fissures in the rock, releasing the gas. A well can be repeatedly fracked over an average production life of seven years. Once production ceases the well should be plugged.

The prospect of a new domestic source of fossil fuel has revealed a concerning lack of Government commitment to renewable alternatives. High profile reports of fracking-induced earth-quakes near Blackpool hit the head-lines in 2011. Numerous unanswered questions remain about the health effects of emissions from extraction - the Health Protection Agency is undertaking a review of the evidence but has yet to report - and its effects, if any, on pricing in a European market where gas is traded to the highest bidder. It’s the potential climate effects of shale gas, however, where much of the uncertainty lies, and many of the

arguments made in the media obscure rather than clarify the issue.

Supporters argue gas is less carbon intensive than coal and could help the UK reach its Climate Change Act targets of

an 80% reduction in CO2 by 2050. This argument looks like a red herring now the, dis-appointingly high, Emissions Performance Standards (EPS) proposed in the Energy Bill prevent construction of pow-

For Government to pursue finite sources of shale gas in pref-erence to genuinely low carbon renew-able energy options is not compatible with avoiding dangerous climate change.

19

er plants emitting more than 450g/kWh CO2. At this level, the EPS effectively precludes coal-powered electricity from the future energy mix unless, or until, carbon capture and storage becomes a proven technology.

Davey has suggested domestically produced shale gas is preferable to conventionally obtained imported gas. In climate terms it’s hard to judge. Contrary to general belief, little if any UK imported gas comes from Russia. The majority travels either via pipeline from Norway or is cooled to −160°C and shipped in liquid form from Qatar: itself an energy hungry process. However, methane is a greenhouse gas with a short term global

warming effect far greater than CO2. Shale gas is known to leak into the atmo-sphere during fracking- so-called fugitive emissions- but the degree of leakage is variable between wells and impossible to predict. Alongside this, the collection and treatment of flowback fluid from fracking has its own energy, and hence carbon, implications.

In any case, while gas may be lower carbon than coal it is not low carbon. A recent International Energy Agency report assessed the climate change effect of a global shift to gas from oil and coal as consistent with a 3.5°C rise in average global temperature, well above the widely agreed 2°C target. For Government to pursue finite sources of shale gas in preference to genuinely low carbon renewable energy options is not compatible with avoiding dangerous climate change.

Fracking activity thus far has concentrated on Lancashire but petroleum exploration development licences have been granted across the UK.

If you’re interested in climate change and the need to de-carbonise our energy sys-tem, the why not get involved iin Friends of the Earth’s Clean British Energy campaign.? Over the next few months we’ll be lobby-ing our MPs to make sure they support a decarbonisation target. Email campaigns@birminghamfoe.org.uk for more informa-tion! Katherine Salisbury

Julien Pritchard interviews Adam McCusker.

How long have you been involved with BFoE?

I have been doing campaign volunteering for around 6 months at BFoE, helping out in as many different roles as I can find, as I quite enjoy being involved in all sorts of aspects of campaigning

How did you find out about BFoE?

I suppose I have always known about BFoE, having visited the reception and cafe at the warehouse, and occasionally reading the BFoE newsletter. I have also in the past been a subscriber to the national FoE magazine.

What do you do here?

I’m lead transport campaigner at BfoE. I come into the office once a week to help out organising campaigns and have some input into the Monday meetings here at the Warehouse. I also try to get involved on the stalls that BfoE sets up at various events around the city.

What do you like about working here?

It’s very community minded and every body sings off the same hymn sheet so to speak. Discussions tend to involve a lot of head nodding.

What have you learnt from volunteering with BFoE?

I’ve learnt a lot more about environmental issues and how to tackle them locally first, being active politically and how important it is to get involved in democracy.

What do you think is the most important environmental issue and why?

Food – its production and its waste are the most significant issues the world has to tackle. We need to look at ecosystems in nature to find the best ways to stop so much energy wastage in our systems.

What’s your best green tip/advice?

Think.

volunteer spotlight

20

We are the only organisation in Birmingham that campaigns on Climate Change, Transport, Local Shops, Planning, Waste and Recycling.You can help us to do this in a number of ways;1.) By taking part in our campaigns2.) By joining us3.) BothWhichever route you decide, you are helping to change your environment for the better. Making sure that those who pollute, monopolise or despoil locally, nationally or internationally are accountable. There are four ways to join us...

I wish to become a Golden Supporter with payments by standing order of £10 per month or more.I wish to become a Silver Supporter with payments by standing order of £5 per monthI wish to become a Bronze Supporter with payments by standing order of £2 per month.I wish to become an Annual Supporter, paying by standing order / cheque (Please delete as appropriate. Note that standing orders are cheaper for us to process).

Annual supporter fees are a minimum of:• £16 waged • £10 unwaged • £20 (joint / family)

Please return with standing order or cheque to: Secretary, Friends of the Earth, 54-57 Allison Street, Digbeth, Birmingham B5 5TH.

Contact Details

Full name: .........................................

Address: ...........................................

.........................................................

Town: .................. Postcode: ...............

Telephone: ........................................

E-mail: .............................................

become a supporter...

Standing Order Form

Sort Code (if known): .........................

Your name/ Account name: .................

Your account number: ........................

Bank Name/Address: .........................

.......................................................

Please pay the sum of £ every month/year (delete as appropriate) starting on ____/____/_________

To: Friends of the Earth Birmingham Ltd.,

Account no: 50 72 58 30 Sort Code: 08-60-01

Unity Trust Bank, 9 Brindley Place, 4 Oozells square, Birmingham B1 2HE

This replaces any previous standing order in favour of Friends of the Earth Birmingham.

Signature: ...................... Date: .........

21

22

diary

Campaign Meetings - mondays 7.30pm4th February: General Meeting

11th February: Discussion Meeting on air pollution and transport with FoE London Campaigner Jenny Bates

18th February: Action Meeting

25th February: Action Meeting

4th March: General Meeting

11th March: Action Meeting

18th March: Action Meeting

25th March: Action Meeting

1st April: General Meeting

Other Events9th February: Rambler Ranger Velentine Celebration Event – Kings Heath Park

11th - 15th February: Go Green Week at Aston University

12th February: Green Drinks – Locanta Restaurant Ludgate Hill

15th February: “Escape the Cheese” Alternative Valentine’s Social – The Warehouse

18th - 22nd February: People & Planet Go Green Week at the University of Birmingham – see article for full details

19th February: Energy We Can All Afford Panel Discussion – University of Birmingham Guild of Students

See Northfield Eco Centre (www.northfieldecocentre.org) & Birmingham Environment Education Project (www.BirminghamEnvironment.org) for more events and workshops

Farmers’ MarketsBirmingham University: 4th Wednesday of the month 9am-2pm

Harborne: 2nd Saturday of the month 9am-2pm

Kings Heath: 1st Saturday of the month 9am-3:30pm

Kings Norton: 2nd Saturday of the month 9am-2pm

Moseley: 4th Saturday of the month 9am-3pm

New Street: 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month 10am-4pm

23

Contact us:Friends of the Earth (Birmingham) The Warehouse 54-57 Allison Street Birmingham B5 5TH

Tel: (0121) 632 6909 Fax: (0121) 643 3122

E-mail: info@birminghamfoe.org.uk

Web: www.birminghamfoe.org.uk

Friends of the Earth is:- The largest international network

of environmental groups in the world, represented in 72 countries.

- One of the UK’s leading enviromental pressure groups.

- A unique network of campaigning local groups, working in more than 200 communities in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

- Over 90% of its funds come from its supporters.

Birmingham FoE:Campaigns at a local level to effect environmental change (in ways which feed into national and international policy) through:

- Lobbying

- Education

- Empowering others to take action

- Participation and representation through public fora

Chair: Benjamin MabbettCampaigns Co-ordinator: Roxanne GreenCampaigns Support Worker: Julien PritchardGeneral Manager: Philip BurrowsTreasurer: Margaret LynchAviation: Adam McCuskerClimate Change & Energy: Jacob WilliamsPlanning: Benjamin MabbettTransport: Adam McCuskerWaste & Recycling: John NewsonNewsletter Editors: Michaela Hodges Steven D Quirke Zoe WrightWebsite Editor: Philip BurrowsFundraising & Membership Co-ordinatorShajidur RahmanCommunications OfficerMichaela HodgesTalks: Julien Pritchard and othersAll enquiries and callers welcome.Find us on page 74 of the B’hamA-Z, grid ref: 4A

contacts