The pandemic may have provided some respite in addressing climate change but the clock is still ticking down from 12

One of the few pluses to come out of the Covid pandemic has been a worldwide reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. Due to the reduction in emitting activities, there was a 6.4% reduction (2.3 billion tonnes) in emissions worldwide. Emissions caused by aviation dropped by 48% on the preceding year. The US saw the greatest drop of 13%. The UN Environment Program estimates that a cut of 7.6% will be needed each year for the next decade if global warming is to stay below the 1.5 degrees level required to stop devastating effects. In 2018, the Inter-governmental panel on Climate Change report warned that there were 12 years left to effectively save the world and stop run away damage. Time is of the essence, with the world making very slow progress. The reduction of the past year provides a temporary respite, the problem being that when the world economy gets back to normal, the emissions level will return to the previous damaging levels. Indeed, it could even be worse as things go into overdrive to make up for lost time as it were over the period of the pandemic. What is required is fundamental change in the way that the world economy operates, so the processes will see those CO2 reductions occur. This was the type of thinking that was prevalent at the Paris Climate Agreement negotiation in 2015. The re-joining to that agreement of the US under President Joe Biden’s administration is another welcome development of the year thus far. But much much more needs to be done. In this country, following the financial crash of 2008, the Labour government heavily backed the renewables sector. The fledgling sector really grew on the back of a feed in tariff scheme, that encouraged people to become their own micro-generators. Unfortunately, this industry did not receive the same support under successive government since 2010. The present government makes green noises but as with everything the proof comes on the ground. What is needed is to really invest in the green economy to get things going. It is the right and practical thing to do. The UK economy is incredibly service sector based, which means it will be one of the slowest to recover. Why not really back the green/renewable sector, making it a bedrock of our economy going forward. At local level, Redbridge Council passed the climate emergency motion that myself and Jo Blackman brought forward in June 2019. A corporate panel was established to look into how that declaration could be made a reality. The panel recently reported, with councillors now waiting to see a plan for practical implementation. Jo was recently appointed cabinet member for Civic Pride and the Environment, so will be responsible for much of this work – something else that has to be good news. Transport was found to be one of the major areas for emissions creation in the borough, needing to be addressed. Plans to implement Low Emission Neighbourhoods in Wanstead and South Woodford, as well as the School Streets schemes across the borough are the sort of measures that will help bring emissions and pollution levels down. There is also the London Mayor’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) due to come into effect later in the year. The Quieter Streets trial in Ilford unfortunately didn’t work, due mainly to problems over consultation and a very narrow timetable imposed by government for implementation. The motivations behind the schemes though was good. There are also moves in Redbridge to address the biodiversity crisis that is seeing habitats and species wiped out across the world. The success of things like Grow Zones, where areas are allowed to run wild, particularly around Wanstead, point another way forward. Hopefully, there will be a default position in future that sees more of the borough being allowed to develop in a biodiversely positive way. So things are beginning to happen, if slowly. Hopefully, as the pandemic reduces, so the work to make Redbridge and beyond cleaner, greener places to live will continue apace. What though we all need to remember is that 12 year deadline to save the world