A campaign group from Brighton is pushing for action on fossil fuel policy and on the home front, with help for those wanting to reduce their carbon footprint.
Hanover Action and its supporters wrote to the Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, Sian Berry, urging her “to vigorously oppose new fossil fuel extraction”, including oil from the Rosebank field and gas from the Jackdaw field.
A government consultation on the two proposals has ended and a decision is expected imminently.
And while Sir Keir Starmer and Ed Miliband opposed new extraction, the new government is under pressure from oil companies and American President Donald Trump to approve further North Sea oil and gas projects, putting more climate-damaging carbon into the atmosphere.
The group said that, with record temperatures and wildfires affecting communities across the country, the case for not “pouring more oil on the fire” had never been stronger.
Hanover Action said that it was calling on Ms Berry to press the government to reject new fossil fuel extraction in the interests of tackling climate change and protecting future generations.
The group said that it was also taking positive action locally, fundraising for tree planting and supporting residents to reduce their carbon footprint through its Greener Homes programme.
In October, the Greener Homes action group is organising three Saturday workshops at Hanover Community Centre, from Saturday 17 October, covering
- home retrofitting
- solar panels and batteries
- low-carbon heating
The group said that there was, though, a growing frustration that while communities were being encouraged to reduce their carbon footprint, the UK government could simultaneously allow new fossil fuel extraction that would add yet more carbon to the atmosphere.
Hanover Action said: “Climate action needs to happen at every level – from households and communities to national government.”
Hanover Action co-founder Sarah Gorton said: “Anyone who has seen plants shrivelling and fires burning in the UK’s latest heat wave must understand this is a climate emergency and we need to keep fossil fuels in the ground.
“I can’t believe that our leaders are threatening to allow new extraction and pour oil on the fire.
“It’s 16 years since we started Hanover Action, working doggedly planting trees, showing informative films and helping residents save carbon but we need the government to show the same determination.”
Ex-local councillor, and supporter of Hanover Action, David Gibson, said: “Hundreds of groups like Hanover Action are doing great work to cut carbon, promote renewable energy and biodiversity.
“But we need our local MP to push the government to hold firm and resist the pressure from President Trump and not give in to the greed of the oil companies – for future’s sake!”
Hanover Action’s Greener Homes group co-ordinator, Paul Norman, said: “Our recent Community Powerhouse events showed that local people are ready to act.
“They need clear information and the right incentives to insulate their homes, generate clean power from their roofs and switch to low-carbon heating.
“With energy costs continuing to rise, making homes warmer, cheaper to run and less dependent on fossil fuels must be a priority for a government that understands the impact of the ‘cost of living’ crisis on low-income and vulnerable households.”
Ms Berry wrote to Andy Burnham shortly before he became Prime Minister, urging him not to approve gas and oil extraction in the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields.
We need action against Hanover residents sucking up all the council tax money. Why don’t these people go away?
Stop pandering to noisy activist groups
It would help if we had a council that allowed people to AFFORDABLY double-glaze their homes… and to do so without the need for planning permission. It is a 2-tier city with a postcode lottery when it comes to being allowed to affordably improve domestic energy efficiency in a cost-of-living crisis. BHCC thinks everyone are millionaires…. and willfully obstructs.
What we need to do is reduce the cost and carbon footprint of importing energy when we have abundance on our doorstep. A small help will be opening up the North Sea for further development. It’s easy for Hanover residents to demand action. Try and think about the car worker whose family livelihood is at risk because energy costs 4 times as much in this country than the US. Twice as much as the EU. These people will not be satisfied until we are all bankrupt.
Will they feel the same when the UK is subjected mass power cuts lasting for because the grid cannot handle the current demand without fossil fuels, let alone keep up with the new demand generated by the switch to EV vehicles? No shopping, no banking, flying, no social media. If they did some research they would be more alarmed at the imminent crash of life as we know it, since the planet will probably out-live them, despite their hysteria. The truly terrifying thing is the lack of food and fuel security in this country in the event of an outage.