Some progress with C&C at the Local Government level.
This list is not complete. Please send missing info to aubrey@gci.org.uk
CONTRACTION & CONVERGENCE AND UK LOCAL GOVERNMENT
LOCAL GOVERNMENT INFORMATION UNIT
The LGIU supports moves towards a contraction and convergence approach
to reducing global carbon emissions. Contraction and convergence
proposes a global agreement on amounts of carbon emission permits to be
allocated to countries on an annual basis.
The overall quantity of permits would contract from one year to the next
— hence the term contraction. Permits would be allocated on a per-capita
basis and their volume would reflect a trend towards the average per
capita emission that is consistent with arresting runaway climate
change.
The system will favour developing countries whose per capita carbon use
is low, and support low-emission routes to development.
The allocation of carbon permits between nations starts from the unequal
distribution of the status quo. However it converges to an equal per
capita distribution over an agreed timescale. Converging access to these
increasingly valuable permits supports a convergence in levels of
development.
The idea of contraction and convergence is particularly persuasive as it
addresses two key threats to humanity — climate change and unequal
development — in one framework.
Carbon Trading Councils could foreshadow a contraction and convergence
model by agreeing voluntary twinning with localities in the developing
world. For example, a town in the UK could twin with a town in — say —
Tanzania and support its low-carbon development.
The aim would be to create a visual, personal picture of what climate
change means globally and to encourage people to think outside their
immediate needs and focus.
The Fairtrade movement has achieved a similar success in showing UK
consumers that even very small changes in their behaviour can have a
notable impact on lives of people who are growing foods or making goods
in developing countries.
http://www.lgiu.gov.uk/images/uploaded/Pospectus.pdf
http://www.gci.org.uk/Councils/LGIU_C&C_Prospectus.pdf
CAMBRIDGE
In order for global action to tackle climate change to be fair, a
sustainable level of carbon dioxide emissions should be shared amongst
every person equally. This principle of apportioning carbon dioxide
emissions to countries based on their population is called ‘contraction
and convergence’, which was developed by the Global Commons Institute26
and supported by Cambridge City Council at its Annual Meeting in May
200727. It refers to the need for global greenhouse gas emissions to
‘contract’ towards an equal share per person at some specified future
‘convergence’ date.
s/Cambridge_Climate_Change_Strategy_&_Action_Plan_Consultation_Draft.pdf
HAMPSHIRE
Thinking Globally, Acting Locally 1: Contraction and Convergence
6. At an international level the broad concept of ‘Contraction and
Convergence’, referred to by the Council for the Protection for Rural
England in its March 2005 response to a consultation paper by HM
Government (submitted as part of the evidence to the County Council’s
Climate Change Commission’s first session), is the most equitable
approach to tackling climate change and poverty around the globe.
The concept, which has had the support of the Government in
international arenas, embodies reducing global emissions to
environmentally sustainable measures, based on consumption per head of
population. The ‘Contraction and Convergence’ approach allows for some
per capita increases in GHG emissions in the developing countries in
Asia, Africa and Latin America. But the essential corollary is that
there must be steady and deep cuts in emissions from the wealthier
countries.
Under the title An Incontestable Truth the All Party Parliamentary
Climate Change Group has recently issued a DVD explaining the principles
of Contraction and Convergence and demonstrating that it has serious
support. It is to be hoped that the County Council Climate Change
Commission will have an opportunity to view the ‘Contraction and
Convergence’ DVD, a copy of which can be supplied on request.
http://www.gci.org.uk/Councils/Hampshire_County_Council_robert_hutchison.pdf
MANCHESTER
Inequalities in wealth between different parts of the world determine
the different standards of living enjoyed by their residents, and the
levels of carbon emissions. For this reason, it would be unreasonable to
apply the same reduction targets to say, Bangladesh as to Europe or the
USA, and we therefore support the principle of “contraction and
convergence”.
This means that Manchester City Council would support an allocation or
carbon budget based on the total carbon reductions required on a country
by country per capita basis. This would allow the poorest countries to
initially grow their emissions whilst the richest countries reduced
theirs. Allowing the poorest countries to initially grow their emissions
would enable them to adapt for the effects of climate change.
http://www.gci.org.uk/Councils/Manchester_8a_Climate_change_1_.pdf
NORWICH
10. Motion – Contraction and Convergence
Councillor Read to move:-
‘Council notes:
a) that carbon emissions (using Government figures) have risen by 2.5%
in the first half of 2005 to 162.4 Megatonnes per annum, and that the UK
is now in very real danger of missing its target under the Kyoto
Protocol, which requires emissions to be 12.5% below 1990 levels by
2012;
b) that the Intergovernmental Panel on climate change has warned that
climate change could have potentially catastrophic effects worldwide -
including in the UK - and that the Government’s Chief Scientific Advisor
has described climate change as ‘a greater threat than global
terrorism’;
c) that Norwich City Council is committed, through its support for the
CRed (Carbon Reduction) initiative, to taking and supporting action to
reduce carbon emissions in Norwich, and hence to reduce climate change.
Council believes:
a) that climate change is a very serious threat, both globally and to
the Norwich community, as demonstrated by the risk of flooding in
Norwich and other parts of Norfolk. Under current conditions, according
to environment agency data, flooding can be ‘expected’ more than once a
century in some houses in Mancroft, Thorpe Hamlet, Lakenham and Wensum
Wards as well as Carrow Road football ground. There is also a flood risk
in Mile Cross, Eaton, University and Bowthorpe. This risk, according to
most climate scientists, has potential to increase dramatically;
b) that the Government must commit itself to a method which allows the
international community to reduce carbon emissions in a socially just
way;
c) that the Contraction and Convergence Framework, promoted by the
Global Commons Institute and supported by many MPs from across the Party
spectrum, the all-party House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee
and some local councils such as Oxford and Camden, is the best way of
doing this.
Council therefore resolves:-
1) to call on Norwich’s MPs to support the Climate Change (Contraction
and Convergence) Bill, that has just been introduced into the House of
Commons by Colin Challen MP, as the best overall framework and vehicle
available for achieving the CRed targets that Norwich City Council has
committed itself.
2) to write to the Secretary of State for the Environment to ask the
Government to commit the UK to supporting Contraction and Convergence
and to write to the Global Commons Institute, declaring that Norwich
City Council supports Contraction and Convergence.
http://www.gci.org.uk/Councils/Norwich_AGD_Council_2005_11_29.pdf
BRIGHTON & HOVE CITY COUNCIL
10 MARCH 2005
NOTICE OF MOTION
CONTRACTION & CONVERGENCE
“This Council notes:
The Government’s recent announcements recognising the serious threat
posed to all life on this planet by climate change as a result of
increasing greenhouse gas emissions.
That despite last month’s enactment of the Kyoto Protocol on Climate
Change, scientific consensus now agrees that greater global reductions
in carbon emission are urgent and vital.
Early Day Motion 538 has been tabled in the House of Commons,
recognising the need for a new global policy to tackle climate change
beyond Kyoto.
EDM 538 advocates a policy of contraction and convergence, where all
nations seek to reduce their levels of greenhouse gas emissions, and
converge emissions levels towards a point where all citizens of the
world are entitled to emit equal amounts of pollutants.
That continued and increasing extreme weather events promoted by Climate
Change will cause significant harm to the city and its inhabitants.
Being a coastal community we are particularly vulnerable to increases in
sea level.
In furtherance of this Council’s duty to care for the environmental,
social and economic wellbeing of the city, we therefore resolve:
1. To instruct the Chief Executive to request the support of the city’s
Members of Parliament for this Early Day Motion, and to report back on
progress in this regard.
2. For this Council to pursue urgent consideration of how city carbon
emissions may be reduced.”
Proposed by: Councillor Georgia Wrighton Seconded by: Councillor Sue
Paskins
http://www.gci.org.uk/Councils/Brighton_and_Hove_(ClimateChange-GreenGrp).pdf
Encouraging action through a regional carbon budget
In March 2007, with support from the Partnership and Innovation fund,
Sustainability South West launched Fair Shares, Fair Choice, a major new
project aimed at promoting positive action on climate change from
individuals and organisations. The initiative aims to help residents of
the South West live and work within a ‘fair carbon
share’ and organisations and businesses to develop carbon action plans.
Fair Shares, Fair Choice is underpinned by the contraction and
convergence carbon reduction model and as part of the initiative
Sustainability South West has produced a ten-year carbon budget for the
region. This calculates personal carbon budgets for everyone in the
South West and an overall budget for the region as a whole. The figures
show that in broad terms the region’s current CO2 emissions are
approximately 10 per cent above its Fair Share carbon budget for 2007
and that carbon emissions would need to be reduced by approximately 30
per cent on today’s levels by 2016.
http://www.gci.org.uk/Councils/DEF-SDU-RegSupp-20pp.pdf
SSW also notes in Section 1 Background and Goals, the proposed
development of an agreed set of regional accounts and accounting
systems. As per our previous discussion and correspondence with Assembly
representatives, SSW has already developed an overarching regional
carbon budget that could be used to form the basis of these carbon
accounts.
Annex 1 contains further details of the methodology and the United
Nations endorsed Contraction and Convergence model, on which the data
sets are based. As previously outlined SSW supports this internally
recognised global framework for reducing CO2 emissions to safe levels in
a socially just way.
We recommend these data sets are applied in the development of the
regional climate change action plan and are used to form the carbon
accounts and targets developed. It is essential that as part of the
regional carbon accounts, climate change mitigation targets are
developed alongside those concentrating on adaptation activity.
http://www.gci.org.uk/Councils/ssw_response_to_ccap_document.pdf
Tradable Energy Quotas (TEQs), Domestic tradable quotas (DTQs) or
Personal carbon allowances (PCAs) These are all systems that have been
proposed for rationing fuel/carbon under the ‘Contraction and
Convergence’ regime.
They would include everyone – individuals, industry and the Government –
and would enable users to sell any rations they do not use. They would
bring citizens, industry and Government together in a single scheme and
supply the incentive needed to transform the way energy/carbon is taken
into account in everyday life. See http://www.teqs.net/
http://www.gci.org.uk/Councils/Westminster_Carbon_Counting_Manual.pdf
