March 10, 2009 19:22 by
dereks
I have started this blog as a place for us to discuss the pros and cons of the proposed drilling for oil and gas at Coldharbour. Below are the contents of the emails on the subject to date between GMF members. I have copied them all to this blog to enable any visitor to the GMF site to join in. I have edited the emails slightly for readability.
I suggest that this blog is not the place to discuss the impact of drilling on the local area. The following website is the place to do that: http://www.thevirtualvillage.com. The virtual village web site contains this statement: “All you need to know is 30 HGVs per day via Knoll Road”. To my mind that illustrates the parochial mindset of many objectors. Let’s use this blog to develop better arguments and think of more than just the immediate impact on local people. This is definitely NOT all you need to know!
Derek Smith
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As some of you may already know, plans are afoot for an oil well on Leith Hill. Bizarre as it may sound, a company has lodged a Planning Application to carry out some exploratory drillings. As you can imagine, a number of local residents and users of the area have got a bit upset by this, and have set up a campaign website here
http://www.thevirtualvillage.com/oilwell.cfm,
with details of the plans and how to object to the application. Not that we're trying to form your political opinions for you, in fact you may think it sounds like a super idea, in which case we'd recommend setting up a pro-oil well website before the protestors put a stop to it. If on the other hand, the idea of having this as a back drop to your Sunday morning ride doesn't sound great, then you may want to visit the website above and raise your objections.
Cheers, The Head For The Hills Team
Head For The Hills
43 West Street, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 1BU
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Isn't this a tricky one? Should Transition Dorking support this since it might reduce dependence on non-local resources?
Matt
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Please ask your contacts to visit TheVirtualVillage.com to support the objectors to the oil and gas exploration application.
Paul
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Matt is right this is difficult – I would argue that:
Transition Dorking exists to provide a framework for people to undertake projects to reduce dependency on fossil fuels, minimise our impact on the environment and create local resilience. I do not think Transition Dorking can have a position on an issue like this. We are a self selected, not a representative, group; we have no idea what the views of our mailing list supporters might be much less the wider local population. Individual members of Transition Dorking can no doubt express their views as individuals.
My view as an individual is I have to say deeply ambivalent. I find it hard to see the moral justification for objecting to something like this while continuing to use oil based products, which may well have originated in other parts of the world where many local environments, and communities, have been devastated. This is in order to provide us with a comfortable lifestyle in our own unspoilt environment.
Andy
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I sent my email to GMF members, not to Transition Dorking and all I said was:
“I'm sure you'll be interested in this bit of news and may well want to throw your oar in. I will do a blog on it.”
The ‘you’ here are the various GMF members initially and then any GMF website visitor if they read the blog. It seemed to me that our blog pages could provide a good forum to help people sort out the best response on this. In fact, now I’ve had a look at TheVirtualVillage.com, I’m more convinced of this. This web site already has lots of content, 100% from angry locals from what I can make out. I noticed one ‘we don’t want to burn oil or gas because of climate change’ comment, but all the rest is NIMBY stuff.
My gut reaction is that I want UK to reduce its ghg emissions as fast as it realistically can – to zero in 20 years – and start now. The rest of the world then follows suit and global oil and gas demand falls dramatically. On this rosy scenario, we don’t need to discover any more new oil and gas fields. We live on the existing ones until we don’t need them any more. So we certainly don’t need to run the spoil some nice countryside for the possibility of a small new oil or gas find.
That’s what I’d like to happen but we have to live in the world as it is, not as we want it to be. In reality the UK is likely to be importing oil and gas for a long time, and probably throughout the life of the Coldharbour field. If it turns out to be a gas field, this will likely power a local electricity generator and feed into the grid. Dorking could maybe set up a company to sell this to the grid and thus benefit the whole community. Sounds quite good? If it’s an oil field, it will be too small for a pipeline and so the oil will probably have to be sent by road tankers to the nearest refinery – Esso Fawley I imagine. That does not look so attractive. I imagine it’s more efficient overall for the oil to be imported in a small corner of a supertanker.
If this had arisen a year down the line with Transition Dorking well established, people would be expecting Transition Dorking to have view I think. At first sight it looks illogical if TD on the one hand has a (local) energy descent plan, and on the other supports an increase in local energy supply. But there is no conflict really between Dorking reducing its energy demand and increasing its supply.
We could air these sorts of arguments on the GMF website, as they will get completely drowned out on TheVirtualVillage.com I suspect.
Derek
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Very interesting issue this. I thought Andy's response was very helpful and Derek spells out the dilemma in more detail. I was afraid most of the reaction locally would be of the NIMBY variety and it sounds like this is the case. Like Derek I would like to see us cutting our dependence on oil and gas - or at least all the dependence which generates greenhouse gases which I suspect is nearly all the uses we currently make of it and like Andy I think we should accept that if we use oil or gas products we should not complain if their production impinges on our local amenities. It would seem best to me to advocate checking the existence of the oil or gas and then registering it and saving it up for future use for essential needs locally, when technology has been found to use it without having to transport it miles for refining or whatever. It could be a life saving local resource for the future inhabitants of the area. We are currently profligate in our use of these resources and to ruin a beautiful landscape in order to get a bit more to waste seems wrong.
Anne
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I have also been asked if we would take position on this issue and help with the campaign so I think we definitely need to blog about it.
I share the ambivalence, first I was outraged at the destruction of yet another part of beautiful Surrey but the people of Surrey use a lot of the planet's resources... so it would be good to gently point that fact out and it might be an opportunity to invite people from the virtual village.com to join the CRAG.
Esther
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To Anne
You say “It would seem best to me to advocate checking the existence of the oil or gas and then registering it and saving it up for future use”. Just to clarify, the present proposal is for a exploratory drilling only – ie checking for the existence of oil or gas and nothing more. If they find it’s commercially exploitable, they will then have to apply separately for a licence to operate as a production field. TheVirtualVillage.com blog says that the likelihood of it being exploitable is about 1 in 10.
Derek
We're starting a CRAG today. (What's a CRAG?)
Fancy joining us? Then read you household meters, make a note of your car mileage and contact us.
We will welcome you in at any time of the year.
Do you know of a community, social group, club, parish council, residential association or organisation that wants to reduce their energy consumption and carbon footprint? The Energy Savings Trust is offering two communities* in Surrey the opportunity to receive free professional support to become low carbon. If you know of a group or are part of a group interested in this offer please read on.
The Energy Savings Trust advice centre has launched a new project to help people in Surrey communities to reduce their carbon emissions and save money on their fuel bills. As part of this project (the Low Carbon Communities Programme), the EST are planning to work with a number of communities to help them:
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monitor and reduce energy consumption;
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assess the feasibility of, and access grants for, energy efficiency measures (including loft and cavity wall insulation);
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assess the potential for renewable technologies (and grants to install them);
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run awareness sessions and distribute literature about reducing energy and switching to low carbon transport;
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set up a green group in your community to stimulate action from within;
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audit the environmental impact of community buildings.
The professional support will be available for six months, giving you a chance to create a strategy and action plan, and put it in place whilst benefitting from the advice of Energy Saving Trust professionals.
Perhaps you already work with or support a group who might be interested or perhaps you are a member of a group who might like to take up this opportunity. If so, please pass on this information to them so they can start to tackle their carbon footprint. Attached is an expression of interest for any potential applicant to consider and complete.
All enquiries and expressions of interest should be directed to the Energy Saving Trust (EST) Advice Centre (Sussex and Surrey) on 01293 438751
* Communities in this context might be a group of people who are members of any sort of interest group or organisation. Ideally they would come from a similar geographical area. If you have an idea of a group but are in doubt of its suitability, please contact EST.
Not a rhetorical question - do we?
Why not go to the public debate on Friday 31st October at 8PM at Farnham Maltings.
Motion: “Britain needs nuclear energy”
Principal Speakers:
Malcolm Wicks MP Minister for Energy
Nathan Argent Greenpeace
Jean Llewellyn National Academy…
Antony Froggatt Consultant, EU energy
Chair: Councillor Carole Cockburn
Hosted by Farnham Humanists
Enquiries: 01252 716725 www.farnham-humanists.org.uk
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You may have read about our upcoming event on how to green your home on the 17th October in Leatherhead (read more here)
A good partner to our presentation is the book 'Simply Sustainable Homes' by Tim Pullen. It's packed with information presented in an easily comprehensible manner. It also usefuly points out where not to waste your money, so could easily pay for itself very rapidly. People say it is 'Quite simply the best book to date on green homes'.
See more or the books we recommend here.
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August 22, 2008 10:58 by
dereksHow to green your home and reduce your energy bills
Presentation by Russell Smith, Parity Projects
With 27% of all energy in the UK consumed in domestic housing and 85% of our existing housing stock set to still be with us in 2050, we all need to act now to reduce our carbon footprint, and reduce our energy bills. The presentation by Russell Smith will explain how this can be done. His company Parity Projects offers the full range of services required to reduce the environmental impact of existing buildings and won the DIY category in the Observer Ethical Awards 2008. He also won Building Magazine’s 2007 Award for Sustainable Refurbishment. The Observer Award judges said: “Russell and his company Parity Projects stood out from all the other nominations for their new way of engaging with the public, giving them the tools to reduce their house’s carbon footprint in an innovative and inspiring way.”
So come and find out how to green your house from a recognised expert.
You can read a write-up of a previous presentation by Russell here.
August 1, 2008 16:50 by
dereks
In an blog earlier today, I quoted James Hansen saying that we need to phase out coal burning unless the carbon is successfully captured. The proposed new coal-fired power stationt at Kingsnorth will be "carbon capture ready". Since most experts believe that commercial scale carbon capture won't be ready before 2020, this means that Kingsnorth will run for several years as a conventional coal fired power station. This summer's climate camp will take place next week at Kingsnorth. It starts on Sunday with a march, there are workshops through the week, and on the Saturday there is mass action to try and close the power station. If anyone fancies going we suggest you use this site to see if anyone else might go on the same day with you. Use the Contact link on the home page to send a message and we will post it for you.
The following information is provided by the camp organisers.
There's only a few days left before the Camp for Climate Action at Kingsnorth in Kent kicks off. Come for as long or as little as you like. The camp is easily accessible; the nearest train station is only 50 minutes from Central London. Tent space will be available for those arriving the night before the day of action.
WORKSHOP PROGRAMME
This year's workshop timetable is the best ever with over 200 workshops covering everything from climate science to vegan cake baking through to the role of banks in the fossil fuel economy and how to plan successful direct action. With speakers including George Monbiot, Caroline Lucas MEP, this timetable is probably the biggest and most comprehensive Climate Change workshops programme we've assembled!
HOW TO GET THERE?
Easy. Jump on a train at either Charing Cross or Victoria and under an hour later arrive at Strood. We will be running shuttle buses from Strood to the camp (a few miles).
WHAT TO BRING?
Your friends, a tent, basic camping equipment, and a sense of adventure. All food is provided on camp and is very healthy and tasty so please don't bring cooking equipment. But do bring a mug, plate and cutlery, and insect repellent if you plan to go near the estuary! Other useful things are a small radio so you can listen to the climate camps radio station and catch up with all the camp news!
IMPORTANT DATES
Sunday August 3th: March and Camp set up. We'll all make the camp happen together.
Monday August 4th-10th: Workshops, networking and action training.
Wednesday August 6th: Day of Small Group Actions against Agrofuels
Saturday August 9th: Day of Mass Action against Kingsnorth coal-fired power stationMonday August 11th: Help return the camping field back to nature.
www.climatecamp.org.uk
August 1, 2008 16:21 by
dereks
The 350.org campaign that I covered in my previous blog started and is based in the USA, and their website reflects this. A more suitable campaign for us in the UK might be onehundredmonths.org that launched today, 1 August. They have an impressive list of partners that includes 350.org.
This is their message:
"We may only have one hundred months before the earth's climate system could 'tip'
One hundred months to deliver committed action.
One hundred months and counting...
Make every month count.
Sign-up for action: Free text 'counting' and your email address to 80800.
Sign-up at www.onehundredmonths.org
Tell your friends.
The clock is ticking"