Zero Carbon Luton
It’s a good month for launching roadmaps apparently, with two to report below - one from the council and one from the Luton based Easyjet. Read on for more.
A roadmap to a zero carbon town
Luton climate activist jailed pending trial
Easyjet launches new climate plan
Inquiry on airport expansion begins
A roadmap to a zero carbon town
A zero carbon Luton will take all of us - citizens, council, businesses, organisations, schools and more. But what do we need to do? How are we going to do it?
Luton Council have revealed the first details of a new ‘roadmap’ for how Luton will get to net zero carbon by 2040. Having set the target and outlined its ambitions in the previous climate plan, this draft document begins to describe how this will be achieved.
From a baseline of 2019’s emissions, the challenge is to reduce CO2 across all sectors over the next 18 years:
The roadmap, to be published in full later in the year, describes a three stage process towards zero carbon. In the early years of this decade we can expect a focus on strategy and awareness raising, then moving on to pilot projects that begin to demonstrate where the town is going. Highly visible projects such as the town centre redevelopment and zero carbon council buildings will lead the way.
By the late 2020s we’ll begin to see projects scaling up. There will be extensive investment in infrastructure for electric transport. Lots of jobs will be created in the new green economy. Larger projects will include whole-street retrofits and the first local heat networks.
The 2030s will see more widespread implementation, with Luton’s homes retrofitted to net zero standards. Electric transport, renewable energy and renewable heat will all become normal.
As emissions fall, so will air pollution. Health outcomes and quality of life will improve. Energy costs will be reduced, as Luton’s climate change plan works in tandem with its goal to end poverty in the town. We look forward to sharing more details on the plan in the coming months.
Since we’re all involved in creating a zero carbon Luton, it’s important to get the roadmap right. So you’ll have the opportunity to comment on the draft in a forthcoming consultation - look out for more details of that soon. In the meantime, why not view the plan and see what you think?
Luton activist jailed pending trial
A climate activist from Luton has been jailed pending trial after refusing to comply with the court. El Litten (third from left above) appeared in court in Birmingham alongside fellow activists for actions with the protest group Just Stop Oil.
The activists were accused of breaking an injunction that bans protests at the Kingsbury oil terminal.
El Litten was charged and sentenced to prison time earlier this year for actions with Insulate Britain, and was one of three activists arrested at Luton Airport with Extinction Rebellion Luton in 2019. She explained her actions in the following statement:
“I’m doing this because I don’t want to be part of a society which is choosing to cause massive and unnecessary harm – where fossil fuel companies make record profits while people die of cold, where lies and denial take precedence over truth, and where business as usual continues blindly on while catastrophes happen around the world. “
“Things are not right – the system is broken. Globally, the worst effects are also landing on those who have done the least to cause them – it is so wrong, and so unjust.”
“Our society allows politicians and businesses to lie with impunity, to make pretty speeches and adverts to misrepresent and mislead, while the truth is that their actions and decisions are causing harm and death on a massive scale.”
Just Stop Oil demand a halt to new investments in oil and gas, and will begin a new round of protests in Westminster from October 1st.
Easyjet launches new climate plan
Luton based airline Easyjet has unveiled a new climate plan that it describes as “the aviation world’s most ambitious plan to achieve net-zero carbon emission by 2050.”
There are several ways that emissions will be reduced, including greater use of sustainable aviation fuel, modernising airspace and efficiency gains. Most important will be new planes, shifting first to more fuel-efficient planes and eventually to zero carbon hydrogen-powered planes. Taken together, this would result in emissions cuts of 78% on 2019 levels. The remainder would be offset with carbon removal technologies, and the target has been validated by the Science-Based Targets initiative.
Reaching true zero carbon aviation depends on emerging technologies, including hydrogen planes. As a step towards that long term goal, Easyjet are partnering with Rolls Royce to invest in new hydrogen engines, with Rolls Royce currently planning the first ground tests for their prototype.
“We’re the first airline to outline an ambitious roadmap in which zero carbon emission technology plays a key role to take us to net-zero emissions by 2050 and ultimately to zero carbon emission flying across our entire fleet”, said Easyjet CEO Johan Lundgren.
Aviation remains a carbon intensive activity and a big climate challenge. Climate groups oppose the expansion of Luton Airport, which would inevitably see higher emissions from the increase in flights. Nevertheless, Luton may be emerging as something of a frontrunner on sustainable aviation. Luton Rising are pioneering a green growth strategy for low carbon operations, and Easyjet are also breaking new ground in the industry. This will be a theme to keep an eye on in the years to come.
Inquiry on airport expansion begins
As if to prove the conflicted nature of aviation in Luton, a public inquiry into airport expansion opened at the town hall just the day after Easyjet’s announcement. Held in stages over the course of six weeks, the inquiry will hear expert testimony from local planners, lawyers and consultants. Three inspectors will then deliver their findings to the Secretary of State for Transport, and the Minister for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. They will make a joint ruling on whether or not the expansion should be able to proceed.
This isn’t the big airport expansion plan - the one aiming for 32 million passengers a year. This is for the smaller plan to raise passenger numbers from 18 to 19 million, a decision that was ‘called in’ by the Secretary of State. The inquiry will be an opportunity to set the development in a larger context, either agreeing with Luton council’s planning decision or over-turning it.
The reason for the review is that decisions about Luton Airport are taken in Luton, but the impact of the airport is felt across the region. Expansion “greatly impacts a wider area than Luton Borough Council”, says Bim Afolami, Conservative MP for Hitchin and Harpenden, and therefore Luton council “should not hold the authority to approve a decision.”
Others point out that the impact is much broader than that, and that airport expansion has global consequences. In the context of climate change, the increase in emissions is globally significant - and since the main source of emissions is the planes, Luton Airport’s plans for low carbon ground operations only affect a small percentage of the overall impact. “The Carbon Reduction Plan omits aircraft emissions,” says the campaign group LADACAN. “This application should be rejected because it is unsustainable in climate change terms.”
As well as climate change, the inquiry will consider noise and quality of life, air pollution, transport infrastructure, economic consequences, and whether or not the expansion is consistent with local development and national policy.
The inquiry will run into mid-November, and we will be keeping an eye on the outcome. All the relevant documents are available at the link below, and as it’s a public enquiry you can even watch it live… you know, if there’s nothing else on.
In other news…
The Solar Together campaign, which organised discounted solar and battery systems by buying together across the county, saw 900 accepted offers across Bedfordshire. Over 50 of those were households in Luton. We hope to see this campaign run again in future and we’ll let you know if we hear anything more.
Over on the Zero Carbon Luton website we have three new articles on reducing energy use at home - on heating, cooking and appliances. Have a look for tips on reducing your bills at a time of high energy prices.
Applications are open for the Luton Citizen’s Fund, if you’re looking for funding for local environmental projects.
Community Interest Luton has opened a fundraiser for families struggling with bills this winter. You can donate to the Keeping Luton Warm fund here.
Youth Network have put out a ‘save the date’ memo for next year’s Youth Climate Conference. It will take place on the 3rd and 4th of July 2023, focusing on year 9 science on day one, and year 6 on day two. Here’s the report on this year’s conference if you missed it.
And finally…
We’re now three quarters of the way through our pilot year. We’ll run a little survey in a couple of months to see what’s next. In the meantime, please send your feedback and your stories my way: jeremy@earthboundventures.org
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