Renewable Energy
Thursday July 24th 2008, Kingsway Hall Hotel - London, 09:30 - 16:00
Tackling Climate Change Through Renewable Energy: Towards a Low Carbon Economy
"Local authorities have a vital role to play in tackling climate change through local leadership and service delivery. They need to look beyond their own estates and operations - important though these are - for opportunities to cut carbon, and work with people and businesses in their area to inspire change across the whole community."
Phil Woolas MP, Environment Minister, Defra, 11 March 2008.
Overview
Recent findings from leading scientists and politicians have stated that tackling climate change, by reducing the emission of greenhouse gases, is the most critical, long-term problem facing all governments.
Whilst the Stern Review made it clear that both the causes and consequences of climate change are global requiring collective, international, political leadership, concerted group action at the local level is politically necessary to accelerate a change in citizens’ behaviour.
By 2012, under the terms of the Kyoto Protocol the government is required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the UK by 12.5%; moreover by 2010, the government is committed to reducing carbon dioxide gas emissions by 20% below its 1990 levels and by 60% by 2050. The Nottingham Declaration (2000) on climate change and the Energy Measures report, published by BERR in 2007, demonstrates the instrumental role that local authorities and agencies play in both designing ‘joined-up’ policies and implementing initiatives to tackle climate change.
The government’s Climate Change Programme (2006) advocated early, collaborative intervention in the local economy by public sector organisations both to raise the awareness of and tackle the impact of climate change. As part of a wider set of initiatives, the promotion and operation of greater energy efficiency programmes and the generation of sustainable, renewable energy using micro-generation technologies are critical elements in a strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the public sector.
On March 11 2008, Environment Minister Phil Woolas and Local Government Minister John Healey announced a new £4 million programme to share existing best practice on climate change amongst local authorities. With many local authorities expected to set specific targets to reduce carbon emissions in their areas, from April, a new performance framework will be introduced that will measure the success of local authorities in reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
Objectives
The damaging effects of climate change require local authorities to act now to further reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. Speakers at this event will discuss policies, strategies and concrete initiatives both to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change and provide delegates with the opportunity to learn of:
- securing reliable energy supplies and tackling climate change;
- the key success factors for working collaboratively with neighbourhoods, public, private and third sector partners to reduce carbon / greenhouse emissions through Multi-Area Agreements, Local Area Agreements and Local Strategic Partnerships;
- case studies to evaluate policy development and strategy implementation processes;
- the very latest thinking on how local authorities and communities can reduce carbon / greenhouse emissions;
- the business case for the use of micro-generation technologies;
- successful multi-media marketing campaigns to raise awareness about climate change energy efficiency schemes and low carbon technologies among specific communities and age-groups.
| 09:15 | Registration, Coffee and Networking |
| 10:00 | Chairs Welcome Address Toddington Harper, Managing Director, The Low Carbon Economy Ltd |
| 10:10 | The Role of the Public Sector in the Move to a Low Carbon Economy Edward Green, Head of Public Sector Team, Climate and Energy – Business and Public Sector Division, Defra |
| 10:30 | Questions and Answers Session 1 |
| 10:45 | Coffee Break and Networking |
| 11:05 | Delivering Change in the Public Sector Cllr Paul Bettison, Leader, Bracknell Forest Borough Council and, Chairman, Environment Board, Local Government Association (LGA) Andrew MacDonald, Commercial Director, Partnerships for Renewables David Pencheon, Director, NHS Sustainable Development Unit Dick Bradford, Principal Designer (Building Services) and Energy Engineer, Property and Procurement, Barnsley Council |
| 12:30 | Questions and Answers Session 2 |
| 13:00 | Lunch, Coffee and Networking |
| 14:15 | Implementing Carbon Emission Reduction Strategies Professor Neil Hewitt, Professor of Energy, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Technologies, University of Ulster Kay Beagley, Acting Programme Manager, Environment Unit, Kirklees Council Richard Folkson, Chairman, Automobile Division, Fellow, The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) |
| 15:25 | Questions and Answers Session 3 |
| 15:50 | Chair’s Summary and Conclusions |
| 16:00 | Close |
Sponsor
Audience
The event will be comprised of an audience drawn from local authorities, central government departments and bodies, agencies, police forces, trade unions, think tanks, businesses and employers, regional development agencies, local strategic partnerships, local, regional and national health services, third sector organisations, environmental organisations, science and innovation hubs, housing organisations, universities, colleges and schools.