Camden’s energy future - Have your say. The UK government’s upcoming Energy Bill will impact how your energy is produced, how you heat your home and how the UK meets its’ international obligations on climate change.

Join us for a public discussion on issues around the energy bill including climate, energy and international development on a local, national and global scale. Guest speakers:

- Frank Dobson, MP for Holborn & St Pancras
- Angela Mason, Deputy Leader of Camden Council
- Kirsty Wright, Senior Climate Justice Campaigner, World Development Movement
- Mervyn Kohler, Fuel Poverty Advisory Group and Special Adviser to Age UK
- Louise Hutchins, Energy Campaigner Greenpeace

Put your questions to our speakers in the question and answer session. This is your opportunity to have your say!

Date: Thursday 31st March, 7pm
Location: Camden Town Hall, Judd St, WC1H 9JE

View and download the event poster - feel free to forward it to friends! You can also sign up to our facebook page for the event.

Event organised by Camden Friends of the Earth, Camden Greenpeace, North London World Development Movement and Camden Cyclists and supported by Stop Climate Chaos Coalition.

On Monday 6 September Camden invited members of the public to hear a presentation of Carbon Descent’s report on how it might reduce its emissions by 40% by 2020, compared to 2005. The meeting was chaired by Angela Mason, the Director for environment and a number of staff too. Friends of the Earth sent a delegation to the Council chamber a few months ago making this request so it was gratifying to see the Council so quickly produce a report setting out some ideas of how this might be achieved.

Two-thirds of the Boroughs emissions are from commercial and industrial, around third from home and a small amount from road transport. Since 2005, Camden’s emissions had grown by 2.6% by 2008. This means we have to reduce our emissions by 42.6%.

The consultants suggested a number of options to hit this target. Quite a large part (around 40%) would be achieved simply by grid electricity becoming partly decarbonised by 2020 through an increase in the amount of renewables and a shrinkage of the percentage coal. But Camden would have to increase the amount of solid wall insulation and CHP-district heating.

The report was a little quiet about the measures the commercial and industrial sector would take. Carbon Descent were negative about the amount of control the Council would have over businesses. Local renewables such as medium scale wind and micro-renewables like PV and solar hot water were not anticipated to make much of a difference.

Download Carbon Descent’s presentation
Download the full report - Meeting 40% Carbon Emissions Reductions by 2020

Angela Mason also launched the Camden Communities Green Fund which provides between £250 and £5000 to help local communities develop local projects.

(Thanks to Prashant Vaze, author Economical Environmentalist for the above summary of the event)

Great news - Camden Council have just announced a seminar on cutting CO2 emissions across Camden by 40% in 2020 - the target of our Get Serious about CO2 campaign!

The event, “Cutting Camden’s CO2 by 2020: working together for a greener Camden“, will be held on Monday 6 September, 7-8pm, Council Chamber, Camden Town Hall, Judd Street WC1.

Chris Dunham of Carbon Descent will present Camden’s recently completed feasibility work on how Camden can achieve 40% CO2 reduction. They will focus on:

• which low carbon strategies and technologies are likely to have the biggest impact
• the probable challenges
• the role people in Camden can play in Camden’s low carbon transition

After the presentation, there will be an opportunity to discuss the feasibility work with Carbon Descent and members of Camden’s sustainability team.

It sounds like a great event and shows how successful our campaign has been so far, with the council putting effort and resources into seeing how we can achieve substantial CO2 reductions across the borough.

All are welcome to attend - please contact harold.garner@camden.gov.uk if you plan to go along.

The new Executive Member for Sustainability at Camden Council, and Deputy Leader of the Camden Labour Group, Angela Mason, has asked Camden Council to organise a Camden Green Summit on Saturday 17th July from 10am to 3.30pm at Parliament Hill School, Highgate Road, NW5 IRL.

The twin aims of the event are:

• to develop an overall vision for the Council’s engagement with the community on green issues
• to think about how Camden as a borough can achieve a 40% reduction in carbon emissions by 2020 (a target we have been asking the council to adopt as part of the Get Serious About CO2 campaign)

If you plan to attend, then please register in advance online or over the phone (020) 7974 7362. Places are limited so early registration is advised.

Back in March we presented a deputation to Camden council asking for local parties to support the Get Serious About CO2 campaign in their manifestos, and to commit to a target of at least 40% CO2 emissions reductions in Camden by 2020.

Good news… the local Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties have adopted the target in their manifestos, and the Greens have gone better, in line with their national target. Here’s the relevant sections from each party’s manifesto:

Camden Conservative Manifesto 2010: “aiming to reduce the borough’s carbon emissions, alongside the Conservative government’s programme, by 40% by 2020.”

Camden Green Party Manifesto 2010: “Leading the way as the greenest borough in London: setting and achieving greenhouse gas reduction targets, in line with our national targets of a 90% cut in GHG emissions by 2030 and 65% cuts by 2020″

Camden Labour Manifesto 2010: “Camden Labour will: Sign up to the Friends of the Earth Get Serious About CO2 campaign to reduce emissions by 40 per cent by 2020″

Camden Liberal Democrats Manifesto 2010: “…we pledge to cut Camden’s carbon footprint by 40% by 2020.”

Have you received a local election leaflet with the Get Serious target on? Do let us know…

Susan, Jess, Prashant, Jim, Iris and Michele made a deputation to Camden Council at the full council meeting on March 1 about the Get Serious about CO2 campaign. Due to the closeness of the election the deputation requested that all the parties make a commitment to the ‘Get Serious’ targets in their manifestos. You can read our deputation statement or see a video of our deputation (starts 16 mins in) on the Camden Council website.

The leader of the council, Keith Moffitt, (who previously had a 20-year career with British Coal!) responded supportively to the deputation. We are now following up with the individual parties to keep the process going.