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Franny Armstong, director of The Age of Stupid |
‘We’ve taken first few steps on the road to saving the planet’
Unanimous support for ‘10:10’ sees Camden lead the way in bid to cut carbon emissions
FOR once, the whole Town Hall chamber was in sound agreement: Camden Council must lead by example and drastically cut its carbon emissions.
In a rare moment of unity at Monday’s full council meeting, councillors from all sides agreed to sign up to the 10:10 environmental campaign – a pledge to reduce emissions by 10 per cent by next year, 2010.
The deal was struck after a motion, suggested by the Green Party, was rushed through the agenda and approved unanimously.
It puts Camden among the first councils to sign up to the 10:10 campaign, which was started by Camden Town film maker Franny Armstrong – the director of The Age Of Stupid, a film in which the potential catastrophe of global warming is hammered home.
Institutions across the country – including schools, hospitals, a clutch of local authorities and even Tottenham Hotspur football club in Haringey – have already backed the idea. The plan is now to get as many individuals and organisations – and eventually central government – to take part.
Green party Councillor Maya De Souza said: “These are the first steps, but climate change scientists say this is our very last chance”
Under the pledge, Camden will work to get its fleet of vehicles running on biofuels, improve building insulation, increase recycling and reduce energy consumption in its offices.
During Monday’s debate, Cllr De Souza repeated familiar warnings of how climate change would generate freak weather systems and cause starvation and civil turmoil in sub-Saharan Africa.
“We need to make drastic cuts,” Cllr De Souza warned. “We have to make 40 per cent cuts by 2020 and 90 per cent by 2050. We have to start doing this now. By signing 10:10, we will be showing a firm commitment to achieving this.”
Conservative Councillor Martin Davies told the meeting: “This is about the importance of survival in a world we inherited from our ancestors and that we want to pass on.
“Ten per cent by 2010 is ambitious but I know we can do it if we all work together.”
Insiders said that when the idea of Camden signing up to the 10:10 pledge was first discussed, council officers were wary about signing up for fear of not being able to honour the commitment.
But politicians have insisted that the council reduces its carbon emissions and a battle plan on how to cut fumes has been drawn up.
Lib Dem council leader Councillor Keith Moffitt said: “By committing to 10:10 we want to demonstrate how important it is for people to get together and take action collectively to protect the environment.”
His party colleague Councillor Alexis Rowell, the Town Hall’s eco-champion, said Camden’s support would encourage other councils to join the scheme, adding that securing the pledge was “probably the most important thing I’ve worked on since coming into the council.”
Labour councillors also backed the motion with full group support.
‘If we can make this work, then everyone can’
COMMENT by ALEXIS ROWELL
AT times the launch of 10:10 felt like a modern Noah’s Ark. Ten councils, ten celebrities, ten schools, ten businesses – all aboard the Camden-flagged Good Ship Franny Armstrong to save the human race from itself.
As Pete Postlethwaite’s character says in Franny’s climate change film, The Age of Stupid: “We wouldn’t be the first life form to wipe itself out. But what would be unique about us is that we did it knowingly.”
We have wasted many years having our heads muddled by climate change deniers. If you listen to those who actually study climate change, there is no disagreement – global warming is man-made, it is happening frighteningly fast, and if we carry on like this, then life as we know it will become untenable. And we probably have only 5-10 years to do something about it.
We in Camden should be incredibly proud that this campaign is Camden-born. Franny Armstrong deserves an Oscar for her film, and a Nobel Prize for launching 10:10.
There are plenty of things we can do to prevent runaway climate change – as individuals, as communities and as nations. 10:10 is a great start. I urge you all to sign up and to persuade your friends and families, the organisations and businesses you work for, and the politicians you vote for to sign up as well. The ultimate aim of this campaign is to persuade the UK government to pledge a 10 per cent cut in our national emissions at the United Nations climate change negotiations in Copenhagen in December.
If we can, and they can, then so can every government.
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