It appears to be effectively a non-committal local plan dressed up as a Sustainability Statement – there is no real promises.

However, with reference to Climate Change/Alternative Energy it does state the following:

[i]We will:
• create wealth whilst reducing our carbon footprint;

• produce as much of our energy as possible from renewable sources;[/i]

The first comment – how they perceived on doing that puzzles me – There is no such thing as sustainable growth – a growing economy uses more energy unless we make sweeping changes now. You can only limit the impact of economic growth on the environment otherwise.

The second statement – This sounds fair – however, if they are saying they WILL produce as much renewable energy as possible, why are no large scale projects being granted permission. And if the council aren’t going to set the benchmark, why would anyone else follow suit?

[i]The Isle of Wight will become known for its eco-tourism, with visitors able to enjoy the Island’s beauty with minimal impact on the environment.[/i]

Perfectly reasonable statement – but no way of showing how this will be done. More park and ride? electric buses? Secure cycle storage and a network of safe non-road based cycling routes? They aren’t going to be able to push tourist attractions into looking at on-site renewable energy sources if the council aren’t doing the same themselves.

[i]The Island faces a particular environmental challenge. This is because our ecological footprint (the amount of resources and energy we use) is three times more than the amount we can sustain. We cannot keep using the amount of resources we currently consume. We must seize this opportunity to change the way we live and work on the Island, to safeguard it for future generations. The ISP wants the Island to have the lowest carbon footprint in England by 2020.[/i]

Bold, and brilliant if it can be done. However, turning down proposals for a wind farm isn’t exactly a step in the right direction, and I havn’t heard the council touting its own ideas. Maybe they should take a hint from Richmond Council – all new development must offset 20% of its CO2 on-site through renewables – but the council can’t lump it all on the residents – they have to match any small scale private renewable installation themselves.

[i]…We will invest in renewable energy technologies and use energy and water more efficiently. We are determined to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the Isle of Wight.[/i]

This is taken slightly out of its context – read the booklet for the whole text. An admirable promise. But what is actually being done, what is proposed and what are the deadlines. The council seem to have been switched on enough to realise that Climate Change is real…but if this is just greenwash rather than an actual promise then its meaningless.

[i]Develop new sectors of employment, creating centre of excellence in renewable energies and generating capacity of over
100Mw of electricity by 2020.[/i]

Again, admirable – but 100MW from renewables? I’d love to see it but where is it going to come from? What have they got planned? Is that 100MW from true renewables or from low-carbon technologies like CHP and Heat Pumps – theres a large difference in CO2 ofset – 100MW is meaningless if we don’t know the source. Buying in biomass fuels? C’mon IoW Council – you’ve written this and made it public…fill us in with your plans. Were dying to know!

Finally, there are 35 promises to be put in place by 2010 – including the following that are relevant to this article:

[i]
• Island agencies to produce action plan to reduce carbon emissions by three per cent each year.
• Three parish/town councils piloting low carbon communities across the Island.
• Annual Eco Island conferences in March each year and Big Picnics in May each year.
• 200 Green Island tourism awards.
• Zero plastic bag scheme.
• Five additional charging points for electric vehicles.
• Submit bid for renewable energy research centre.
• Public sector fleets to run on low-carbon fuels, starting with 13 Isle of Wight Council vehicles.[/i]

Have all these been done/implemented?

And…[i] Island agencies to produce action plan to reduce carbon emissions by three per cent each year[/i]…what does this mean? 3% of what – if its 3% reduction compared to a 4% growth then we are still going backwards. Maybe base it from 1990 levels in-line with Kyoto?

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But it is difficult to achieve other savings, because they need to persuade all Council staff to change their behaviour, for example by turning off computers, lights and other electrical equipment when not in use. I’ve worked in environmental jobs for years, but in my experience many people still don’t do such obviously basic things as turn things off when they leave rooms. If even such committed people can’t remember to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, it’ll be even harder to persuade other people to change their behaviour.

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I sent a letter objecting to the sex club at the back of Nodehill middle school, Newport and I received an email, at the bottom it says in a a nice green font…. “As part of our commitment to Eco-Island please don’t print unless necessary.”

What more proof do you guys want?

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Meaning the above statement is a load of rubbish. Why do they get away with this? Just like Andrew Turners’ latest rant on immigration. We are treated like fools…but then maybe we are.

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But on this they just aren’t credible. They made the running on eco island and claim to still be committed.

You can’t spin your way out of this one. They try to lead on eco island, but their carbon footprint is rising year on year – yet other big businesses on the Island have cut their outputs dramatically in single years. To say this is only for one year is more than spin – it’s treating us like we are idiots. Reducing this year is an ongoing reduction – Pugh clearly doesn’t know anything at all about the 10:10 commitment.

Geoff Lumley is right – if they just managed to turn the lights off automatically, cut the temperature of their hot water, put a hippo in every toilet, turned their thermostats down by a degree, and looked at whether they need to drive so many vans and cars around the Island all day every day, they could make a significant reduction in their carbon output – it’s all good housekeeping – and they could also cut their bills.

If this is their committment to eco island then Pugh should admit right now that they can’t be bothered really!

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“People have rightly pointed out that the council has found it a challenge to fulfil its stated aim of reducing its carbon footprint “.

In street-speak this means “OK we admit that we have FAILED this year”.
Let’s not speculate on their performance next year. Wait and see.

But then he says:
“Our efforts are better spent seeking to achieve this structured, year-on-year approach to carbon reduction than by taking on, in addition, a further arbitrary target.”

Which is a clear admission that their current targets are “arbitrary”.

I think he will need some time on the back benches before he gets his spin certificate. It takes time, experience and he’s still very young.

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If it wasn,’t so tragic and so often repeated by the cowboys we call councillors, then this would be funny

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“Plonkers of the world unite, you have nothing to lose but Planet Earth”.

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This decision cannot possibly represent the people on the Isle of Wight?!

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