Search This Blog

Monday 28 October 2019

Climate Emergency and Brent Friends of the Earth

The Kilburn Times has chosen to highlight the climate emergency using a national Friends of the Earth document that doesn't really pay attention to Brent's characteristics as an area.

Naturally, it includes a quotation form Brent's Friends of the Earth who opposed Brent Council's improvements to recycling despite the positive improvements to carbon emissions.  The same group also opposed the Council's introduction of "polluter pays" parking permits.  Indeed many of them as individuals have also protested against the many actions that Brent Council has taken to reduce carbon emissions, including the Civic Centre.

The story quotes the current Chair, who says: "One of the things Brent tells us about is what a good sustainable Civic Centre they have...It's got a lot of stuff in it that makes it energy efficient but it's surrounded by a concrete desert of high rises in an unnatural environment. We don't doubt Brent's sincerity in wanting to do it but it really needs to start upping its game and moving much more quickly."

I take it that he is simply unaware that new housing in the Borough's five growth areas (which include Wembley) meet higher environmental standards (CSH4) than the Borough as a whole (CSH3).  The CSH stands for Code for Sustainable Homes, and is a standard measure.  On the street tree issue I find it hard to believe that he hasn't noticed the widespread planting of trees across Brent, which is actually not bad for an urban area

He is presumably also blissfully unaware that Brent Council has been monitoring its environmental performance for many years (as it did when I was Lead Member).  Some of these items fall by the wayside, largely because of central government cuts, but the big ones are in place.

No comments:

Post a Comment