We have now received the latest draft strategy paper drawn up by Ealing council following on from their declaration of a climate and ecological emergency last year. A version of the current strategy paper is available for download here as the full report, with appendices one (strategy matrix) and two (engagement plan). This is a working version of the strategy paper on which Ealing council are keen to consult.
Please do review the council’s proposals and let us and/or the council’s Climate Action Team have any feedback. You can email us at steering@ealingtransition.org.uk and Jo Mortensen from Ealing Council here. Many of the initiatives recommended by the council will require further development into projects, with specific resources and timescales in the coming months.
Details of our early post on this subject are available here.
Join us on Monday 29 June 2020 at 7.30pm to 9.00pm for an on-line screening of the ClimateRaceFilm, a film discussing the challenges we face in the UK to transform our society and economy, and build a thriving carbon zero future for all.
As with our virtual event last month, if you would like to take part please email us at steering@ealingtransition.org.uk. This will help us gauge interest and means that we can send you a Zoom invitation for the event. During the meeting, we will watch the film together for 45 minutes, and have 45 minutes after for discussion.
The film is presented by Dr James Dyke of the University of Southampton and co-chair of Sustainability Science Southampton, and involves contributions from heavy-hitters such as Kate Raworth (author of Doughnut Economics and Senior Research Associate at Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute), and Paul Allen, principle investigator at Zero Carbon Britain.
The film highlights the urgency of our predicament, and notes that while we have the technology we need to thrive (the QE2 reservoir solar array and the Westmill Energy Farm Cooperative are inspiring examples), we cannot rely on technology alone to save us. Our current economic model, which demands growth at all costs, is not sustainable, and proposals to limit temperature rises to less than 2 degrees C under the Paris Convention already rely on technology not yet proven at scale.
However, there is hope, and the film stresses that in charting a safe path to the future our individual and collective actions are very much part of the solution. In Kate Raworth’s words, ‘the economy is constantly evolving, and we can all be like little butterflies that trigger off a bigger effect’ for the better. ‘We are not just consumers. We are citizens, neighbours, demonstrators, voters, and volunteers’, and can build up a critical mass for change.
The film and associated website showcase a number of things individuals can do to build up the necessary critical mass, and we hope that you will find them inspiring. “We have everything at our disposal. The question is do we have the will?”
We will be on-line for our next event to discuss “The Flip”, a film that explores how we might move on from the shock of the Coronavirus Pandemic to develop a more resilient and sustainable society. We will be starting our online conversation about the film at 8.00pm on Monday 11 May 2020, and expect to finish around 8.45pm. Please note the different date and time!
If you would like to join us, please email steering@ealingtransition.org.uk. This will help us gauge interest and means that we can send you a Zoom invitation for the event. To participate, please watch The Flip in advance of the meeting, and be ready to share your thoughts on the night.
The Flip is produced by Spanner Films, the team that made Age of Stupid, and features George Monbiot, Caroline Lucas MP, and Faiza Shaheen. It is around 45 minutes long, and is available on You Tube here.
