Climate Change Community/Stakeholder Workshop Thursday 19 September 2019 - Feedback
Have your say on how the Island can do its part to tackle Climate Change
In September, Isle of Man Government held two Climate Change workshops to provide an update on the progress in developing a Climate Change Action Plan, to provide a face-to-face opportunity for delegates to speak with members of the Climate Emergency Consultative Transformation Team and most importantly provide delegates with an opportunity to feed-in their thoughts and ideas on what actions the Island could take to reduce emissions.
During the workshops the audience heard from Archibald Elliott of the Isle of Man Student Climate Network and Professor James Curran, Independent Chair of the Climate Emergency Consultative Transformation Team following which attendees were invited to speak with members of the team and share their thoughts on subjects under various headings, such as; transport, waste, energy, agriculture, residential and land use.
Below is the feedback captured from both the Stakeholder and Community Workshops held on Thursday 19 September 2019. This will be collated with feedback on the Isle of Man Government’s online portal ‘Dialogue’ and will be used to shape the Island’s response to Climate Change.
To share your ideas on and views on Climate Change please visit the online portal for more information visit www.gov.im/climatechangeiom
Awareness and education
- Organise a Citizens Assembly.
- Join up networks including primary schools, school councils, PTA’s, youth organisations to promote and illuminate all the issues and solutions as they appear.
- External pressure groups can provide further policy development. Striving towards shopping seasonal produce.
- “Buying local” vs “Takeaway Budget”.
- Viability: Eggs (IOM price including feed fees).
- Government to hold meetings Island wide-not just central Douglas.
- Quantify estate owned by IOM Government, which could be used for climate change initiatives, not known by public.
- Perception of working behind closed doors.
- Breaking the denial in the community.
- Everything is subjective not objective.
- Story-telling.
- Understand people make decision not on science data but emotions.
- Climate Change emergency curriculum in early years foundation stage and higher education.
- Changing the systemic education (Trapped in system).
- It should be applicable for everyone (Government, business, whole community).
- How to map it.
- Planning for real.
- Acting now.
- Visioning your world, what’s next? Spaceship for future.
- Energy expo’s on green buildings.
- Access current community- use rich resources (skilled expertise).
- U3A climate solutions groups.
- Use social media to harness young people’s ideas/solutions/issues.
- Here needs to be facilitation on conversation/ solution.
Business
- Lifelong learning.
- Business to react quickly.
- Stemming away from profit based business models.
- Changing the way business operates.
- Intercommunication mind-set.
- CSR/ role model/ willingness needs more guidance.
- Incentives to encourage business to reduce investments in fossil fuels.
- Higher tax on income from fossil fuels.
- Internal change of operations.
- Promote active travel schemes to businesses (cycle shower facilities – more productive, healthy workforce).
- Slow resources loop/ keep value of product.
- Flexi-working.
- Charging for EV’s.
- PAS 2060 British standard.
- How can so many IOM companies claim to be using 100% renewable energy- if its bought from MUA?
- Regulatory framework/business carbon audits.
- Government to supply change.
- Testing for technology.
- Encourage business to invest in Climate Change- give them a public platform to show what they have done- healthy competition!
- Ethically tax cognitive economy.
- Procurement list.
- Increase medical/ pharma subscription price.
- Mixed use of building in town.
- Baseline to measure carbon footprint.
- Local economy to flag on food miles.
- Everyone together/ divestment from fossil fuels e.g. pensions.
- Evidence base.
- Business support grants ‘green assesses’.
- Combined wind and hydro techniques.
- Specific expectation e.g. EIA.
- Informal and formal learning.
- Pecha-kucha.
- Energy expo.
- Sharing awards for best practice.
- Think very big.
- Planning ahead.
- Kick start/ role model/ infrastructure in place.
- Do the right thing.
- Clarity/role model.
- Enable people to make the right choice.
- Cost of worrying mental wellbeing.
- Compare transition.
- Scale up.
- Artisan approach.
- Value led.
- Start with new homes.
- local in planning permission.
- Planning supply.
- Legal framework.
- Upgrade routes.
- Textiles/wool- costs e.g. tax.
- Infrastructure wool to fabric.
Agriculture
- Organic soil health.
- Permaculture.
- Re-train farmers to remove mixed farming.
- Reduce heat production for vegetables.
- Nature friendly.
- Biodiversity.
- No more building on green field site.
- Paying for the actual costs to local produce - not cheap quality food.
- More crops for human consumption, less meat production.
- Pulrose plant is powered by gas- use the opportunity to grow own biogas- compatible crops on island to save import and co2.
Sea and Land-use
- Preserve our agricultural land for food security for future generations.
- No more building on green field sites.
- Protect seabed from development.
- 12 mile marine protected area. Remove the “sell it for a profit” mind-set, to prevent unsuitable development business on the island.
- Provide farmers with a fair price for the production of food.
- Encouraging people to buy Manx products instead of going to Tesco’s for a cheaper option.
- Carbon Capture/Storage.
- Re-wild areas underused or unsuitable for agriculture- increases carbon capture and biodiversity.
- Encourage water capture/storage- both agricultural and residential.
- Encourage and support landowners (not farmers) to hold and store carbon and water.
- Incentivise re-wilding and creating habitat bridges.
- Inland wide wildlife and trails.
- Curitiba in south America is a nice example of urban design e.g. parks absorb floodwater SUD.
- Increase sea grass in MNR’s.
- Keep wetlands wet.
- Lots more trees- hedges, absorbing runoff etc.
- Encourage vertical farming.
- Ban all buildings on greenfield sites.
Residential
- Encourage communal heating schemes at whole street level.
- Showcasing good examples e.g. energy expo on green buildings.
- Insulate! Insulate! Insulate!.
- Building control needs to be more robust.
- Measure value for money on building trades and procedures.
- Training for town and country planning to use procedures for zero carbon.
- Recommended planning guidance from chaile ppg.
- Carlisle eco-building event focuses on retrofitting older buildings.
Transport
- Becoming more efficient and incentives to use less cars.
- Change our working hours.
- Redesign bus timetable.
- How to catch a bus guide.
- Reduce fare via season ticket.
- Park and ride.
- Electric railway/buses- using modern stock.
- Provision of electric car pool -using apps.
- Government should lead by example with electric vehicles (each department for EV ownership).
- EV charging system around the Island.
- Not enough resources for everybody to own electric cars.
- Reduce no. of parking spaces.
- MHKS should lead by example.
- Zero emissions zones.
- Free public transport.
- Walk to work ideas and incentives Infrastructure.
- The need for an upper Onchan to prom route.
- All old rail tracks turned into cycle/ pedestrian routes - over 30 miles.
- Pavements (one side cyclists and one side pedestrians).
- Effective cycle routes to workplaces- e.g. business parks.
- Consider retail strategy as part of transport options.
- Frequent small micro busses.
- Tuk-tuk electric hubs serving isolated communities.
- VEL- EURO 6 discounts currently only to EU 5- it needs updating.
Waste
- Compost rather than incinerate.
- Deposit return scheme (used in Scotland).
- Removing the burning strategy- EWF.
- Reduce packaging.
- Ban retailers importing plastic and non-circular economy items.
- Promoting reduce, reuse and recycle (listed as priority).
- 3 bins for each household.
- Compostable.
- Recyclable (clean).
- Smaller one for general waste.
- Make recycling convenient- Island-wide kerbside collection.
- Centralise the running of amenity sites and pay through income tax rather than rates- the current system is inefficient.
- Repair workshops- sewing, wood works etc.
- Promote more public art projects using recycled materials (similar to Summerhill Glen).
- Simple recycling markings i.e. 1.2.3.
- Expand and centralise recycling, large and still useable goods.
- Encourage recycling bio-digester for food and organic waste.
- Alternative solutions- kerbside across island- cross LA border collections to reduce EFW trips. Also more cost/effective local bring banks near schools education.
- The use of plastic bags to buy veg at Tesco’s? Follow Shoprite paper bag examples.
- Food waste- reduce local supplies including barriers- time/ buy to look rather than just buy websites for recipes.
- Foodbank contribution and distribution.
- Legislate against EFW lorries to import non-EFW waste and single use plastics.
- Encourage multinationals to follow IOM standards of reducing single plastics- IOM should own this movement- decide what we will fund and acceptable and pull in the supermarkets/shops/ businesses.
- Perception- what happened to the waste?
- Government to fund for EV collections.
- EFW- heat networks – interim solutions what will future waste streams be.
- Charity shop waste- no charge currently.
Energy
- 2035 is too late (ccgt).
- Joint venture wind farm.
- Fracking for gas- should be left in the ground.
- We can't permit practices just because it won't be shown in the total island carbon emission - we have a global responsibility.
- Being open and keeping public informed.
- MUA- Need VTG Tech now.
- To remain sustainable.
- Support new technologies with seed funding and invest the future without asking for shirts of their backs.
