The Environment Agency is hosting 7 public drop-in events from 26 February to 20 March. Come along to find out more about flood risk in Reading and Caversham, what residents can do to prepare and our updated plans for a possible flood scheme. There will also be information on how climate change may increase flood risk in the future.
Over 700 properties are at risk from a major flood in Reading and Caversham. The latest design to reduce flood risk includes a combination of flood walls and embankments, temporary flood barriers and a channel.
Reading and Caversham FAS drop in dates Feb-Mar 2020
After listening to feedback from the public, we have made changes to the proposed design and have new information to share. At the drop-ins, there will be landscape plans and photos showing what the scheme could look like if it is built. There will also be photos of historical flooding and information about local flood risk and how you can sign up for warnings.
It is important to note that the project is still at an early stage, so it does not yet have the relevant permissions and may not go ahead.
This is the third in the series of interviews with Ayo Sokale, in which Ayo asks me ‘…what things you can do about climate change’. I hope you find this useful.
This ReadingCAN.org.uk website will be building up a lot of information over the coming years, which will help us all to become better informed.
Heatwaves happen and they can be particularly dangerous for more vulnerable members of our community. With climate change we expect heatwaves to become increasingly likely so we need to be ready for them.
Shut windows and pull down the shades when it is hotter outside. You can open the windows for ventilation when it is cooler.
Avoid the heat: stay out of the sun and don’t go out between 11am and 3pm (the hottest part of the day) if you’re vulnerable to the effects of heat.
Keep rooms cool by using shades or reflective material outside the windows. If this isn’t possible, use light-coloured curtains and keep them closed (metallic blinds and dark curtains can make the room hotter).
Have cool baths or showers, and splash yourself with cool water.
Drink plenty of fluids and avoid excess alcohol – water, lower-fat milks and tea and coffee are good options. You can also drink fruit juice, smoothies and soft drinks, but they can be high in sugar. Limit fruit juice or smoothies to a combined total of 150ml a day, and choose diet or sugar-free soft drinks.
Listen to alerts on the radio, TV and social media about keeping cool.
Plan ahead to make sure you have enough supplies, such as food, water and any medications you need.
Identify the coolest room in the house so you know where to go to keep cool.
Wear loose, cool clothing, and a hat and sunglasses if you go outdoors.
Check up on friends, relatives and neighbours who may be less able to look after themselves.
We had a fantastic launch event on the 13th June. This opened the 6 month consultation on the 3rd Reading Climate Change Strategy.
Please do get involved: your ideas, energy and commitment are going to be really important to make a real success of this. You can take part in a number of different ways e.g. by attending meetings, commenting on proposals and encouraging others to also engage in shaping Reading’s future. To get in touch with the various themes, please find the contact details below:
To get involved with these cross-cutting themes, or if you have any general questions or suggestions please contact info@readingcan.org.uk.
Each theme will have one of the action plans that are the backbone of the strategy. For more details about all of the themes, please scroll down.
Water Supply and Flooding:
The current strategic priorities are:
to manage supply of and demand for water
to provide guidance about safe reuse of water
to reduce the expected impact of water shortages on consumers and on wildlife
to reduce the risk of flooding, pollution, and potential damage to homes
to develop an adaptation plan for Reading so we can plan for extreme events associated with the changing climate.
Key questions in meeting these aims are:
What will prevent us from getting the water we need?
How can we engage in practical water efficiency messages, calling people to help build a water efficient town, using and reusing water sustainably?
How can we measure the real impacts of flooding, not only as events, but also the damaging effects to the local economy and the domestic, community, and business lives, and not to forget to the sustainability of the town?
We can then use this to draw together an outline plan for the Town of Reading.
To find out more and get involved email: water@readingcan.org.uk
Transport and mobility:
Transport has a key role to play in tackling climate change. Solutions to the transport and mobility question can also improving air quality and promoting health and wellbeing, whilst enabling economic growth and housing delivery. In addition to the Climate Change Strategy, the Council are in the process of updating the transport strategy for Reading, prioritising the provision of sustainable transport to encourage the use of public transport, walking and cycling as an attractive alternative to the private car.
Key questions in meeting these aims are:
What is it about our way of life that encourages private vehicle ownership and non-low carbon transport infrastructure?
What kind of alternatives can we imagine and how might we influence or bring about these changes?
What technologies and solutions can help reduce the dependency on fossil fuel based transport systems whilst continuing to service our economy and communities?
To find out more and get involved email: transport@readingcan.org.uk
Health:
Climate change and associated air pollution is worsening physical and mental health and negatively affecting food production.
One of the key questions for this theme is:
In what ways might emphasising climate change as a personal and public health issue in Reading encourage people to participate in steps to curb climate change?
To find out more and get involved email: health@readingcan.org.uk
Natural Environment and Green spaces:
The new local plan requires identification and enhancement of wildlife corridors through the town, connecting the existing green spaces and ensuring that new development contributes rather than detracts from these aims. Private gardens and business sites could be part of the solution. Green spaces need enhancement for nature conservation, management of water flows and droughts, assisting in reducing air pollution and urban heating and improving well-being.
One of the key questions for this theme is:
What are the changes needed and how do we get the community to participate?
Maybe one of the most challenging topics that is on the forefront of the Climate Change issue. We all need to find a way to reduce our energy consumption and use renewable energy for the energy we do use. This is closely linked to carbon emissions and solutions to both problems tend to go hand in hand.
Key questions in meeting these aims are:
How can we bring about a reduction in energy demand?
What renewable energy technologies will be best for Reading and how can these be encouraged and installed?
How can buildings reduce energy consumption and are there alternative ways of heating and cooling buildings?
In short: stuff. Every choice we make about what to buy and consume has consequences. Our society has come to rely on a make-use-dispose model of consumption that assumes resources are infinite – both the raw materials and the energy used to manufacture goods. We have come to expect to be able to buy out of season and non-indigenous foods regardless of the water, materials and energy used to grow, package and transport them. In a zero-carbon future, we will need better ways to harness and conserve resources to deliver the quality of life we desire without leaving an unwelcome legacy for future generations.
One of the key questions for this theme is:
How are we able to consume less or in a much more considerate way?
The cross-cutting themes are common across the strategy. They do not have action plans themselves but they are useful lens to look across the 6 main themes. As we launch the strategy, we have identified 4 cross-cutting themes. This number could grow through time.
Education – this theme covers the interaction with schools, colleges and other educational establishments, as well as a general sharing of our “learning about climate change” so we can all make better informed decisions.
Adaptation (Resilience) – this theme captures the need to “Get Reading Ready” for the changes that we expect to happen with the changing climate. Weather patterns are already shifting, and the risks associated with extreme events are increasing. We must prepare for this, and our First Reading Adaptation Plan will help to guide our initial steps.
Business – the business community has a very important role in helping us to deliver our strategy, as well as ensuring that each individual business is switched-on to the twin challenges of getting ready for climate change and cutting our carbon footprint to zero by 2030.
Community – the community of Reading is diverse and complex, with varying levels of engagement and capacity when it comes to climate change. We need to grow the Reading Climate Action Network (ReadingCAN) to make sure we get through to everyone who lives, works and visits this town. We need to help people to make good choices and pick up an optimistic vision of the future for Reading.
It was my great pleasure to be interviewed by Ayo Sokale – one of Caversham’s new Councillors. This is the first in a series of five interviews. In this we talk about our plans for new Reading Climate Change Strategy.
We are writing the new strategy between now and Christmas. Please do get involved – you can find out more here:
In 2010, eight million tons of plastic trash ended up in the ocean from coastal countries—far more than the total that has been measured floating on the surface in the ocean’s “garbage patches.”
That’s the bad news. The even worse news is that the tonnage is on target to increase tenfold in the next decade unless the world finds a way to improve how garbage is collected and managed.
There is absolutely no excuse for using single use plastics and we need to act now. Not only is this causing drastic climate change but is also killing the marine life and nature.
Say no to Plastics
Maya Beach in Koh Phi, Phi Leh island in Thailand is now closed. After years of receiving 5000 visitors a day, pollution from litter, has destroyed around 80% of the coral around the bay.
Seabirds and marine life are found with their stomachs full of plastic items
Plastic are killing the coral reefs
Plastics is found everywhere even the remotest parts of land and sea
Are We Also Eating Plastics?
This novel 3-D animation video from National Geographic dives into how our consumption of plastics has affected marine species deaths and increased human health risks, and it explores possible long-term solutions.
To read more and watch the video on how to keep plastics away from our oceans click here
The Guardian has provided results of a study that shows how bad the plastic footprint actually is. Please read the article here. Noting the huge carbon footprint associated with plastics…
“…This plastic binge threatens attempts to meet the Paris climate agreement. It means that by 2050 plastic will be responsible for up to 13% of the total “carbon budget” – equivalent to 615 coal-fired power plants – says the research published on Thursday….”
Earth Hour is a global WWF (formerly known as World Wildlife Fund) climate change initiative which brings attention to the effects of climate change by asking people to switch of lights at homes and businesses for an hour at 8.30pm (20:30), local time, usually on the last Saturday of March. This Year it falls on 30th March.
From the Sydney Opera House and the Empire State Building to Buckingham Palace and Edinburgh Castle, communities like yours have switched off their lights in a symbolic show of support. Last year over 10 million people across the UK took part to send a clear message: We’re fighting for our world.
How Earth Hour helps?
Many of us feel powerless in the face of overwhelming threats to the planet. But when we all come together for Earth Hour, we create a strong voice that can change things for the better.
The power of our combined voices has already helped to:
Influence climate policy in Russia, Argentina, Ecuador and Wales.
Successfully push for planet-friendly laws, such as a ban on plastic in the Galapagos Islands.
Inspire the world’s first Earth Hour protected forest in Uganda.
And 90% of people who take part in Earth Hour say it inspires them to do more to protect the planet
What you can do?
It would be great if everyone can kindly turn off their lights, Computers and any electronic items they use on Saturday the 30th of March from 8:30 to 9:30 PM.
WWF have partnered with Ariel to donate £1 for just pledging to make a change. So please go ahead and Make a Pledge for this amazing cause.
Clothing is a necessity and for many a way of expressing ourselves and boosting confidence, yet the process of making them is extremely wasteful and polluting. The production of these textiles itself, whether they’re synthetic or natural, is also causing harm. Kay Politowicz, Professor of Textile Design at the University of the Arts in London, says “The increasing consumption of textiles for clothing is causing the biggest textiles impact on the environment” . The fashion industry depends on oil and gas and consumes enormous amounts of water, contributing to vast mountains of waste.
The life cycle of clothes we wear and buy is something most of us take for granted – right from the supply chain as to who makes them, where and how and where they end up after use.
“Plastic from a variety of products – carpet, clothing, packaging – are showing up in our tap and bottled water and even our beer. ”
Say no to fast fashion
Here are some points to highlight the impact of fast fashion which is surely not Ethical
100 billion garments are produced every year globally
The average number of ‘wears’ per garment a person owns is just 4
The fashion industry is the fifth most polluting in the world
100 million tonnes of non-renewables are used every year in the fashion industry globally
65% of clothes use polyester – and this contains micro plastics, which are shed when clothes are washed
Half a million tonnes – equivalent to 50 billion plastic bottles – of plastic microfibers from washing garments ends up in the ocean every year on average, which in turn enters the food chain
Extending the life of a garment by 3 months can reduce its carbon footprint by 5-10%
Charity shops reduce the UK carbon footprint by 3.7 million tonnes a year
Impact of clothing industry
Lot of companies and charities are working to try and combat this
1) If doing a wardrobe clear out, use Traid who offer a free home collection service. Similarly you can donate to charity shops or use the recycle services from retailers, such as John Lewis and M&S.
5) Greenpeace’s high-profile campaign “Dirty Laundry,” which has called on some of the largest clothing brands to commit to eliminating hazardous chemicals in their supply chains, has spurred Adidas to begin talks with rivals Nike and Puma (among others) to establish an industry-wide initiative to develop an integrated chemical management program.
6) Clothing labels like M&S, Levis and P&G are encouraging customers to wash at lower temperatures.
7) The recent Fashion Futures project at Britain’s Forum for the Future envisioned what fashion will be like in the year 2025, in conjunction with their call for a more sustainable fashion industry
Looking beyond the current take-make-dispose Linear extractive industrial model, a circular economy aims to redefine growth, focusing on positive society-wide benefits. It entails gradually decoupling economic activity from the consumption of finite resources, and designing waste out of the system. Underpinned by a transition to renewable energy sources, the circular model builds economic, natural, and social capital. It is based on three principles:
Design out waste and pollution
Keep products and materials in use
Regenerate natural systems
Circular Ecosystem
In broader terms, the circular approach is a framework that takes insights from living systems. It considers that our systems should work like organisms, processing nutrients that can be fed back into the cycle—whether biological or technical—hence the “closed loop” or “regenerative” terms usually associated with it.
The circular economy model synthesises several major schools of thought. They include the functional service economy (performance economy) of Walter Stahel; the Cradle to Cradle design philosophy of William McDonough and Michael Braungart; biomimicry as articulated by Janine Benyus; the industrial ecology of Reid Lifset and Thomas Graedel; natural capitalism by Amory and Hunter Lovins and Paul Hawken; and the blue economy systems approach described by Gunter Pauli.
Amsterdam to be fully circular by 2050
Building upon the Dutch national strategy, Amsterdam has committed to becoming fully circular by 2050. It has started the journey to become a circular city with the Circle City in 2015, and has since then started more than 70 pilots in the circular economy.Amsterdam have pioneered a ‘learning by doing’ approach in the circular economy, which has been evaluated in 2017.
Amsterdam to be fully circular by 2050
Amsterdam is a hotspot for digital technology, circular design and lifetime extension
Digital technology, circular design and lifetime extension are the most important elements for circular employment in the AMA, and thus, form the distinctive feature of the circular economy in the AMA. Furthermore, in line with national trends, the urban centers throughout the AMA provide the largest number of enabling circular jobs, while core circular employment is located within the urban peripheries.You can read the full proposal here.
The annual UN Climate Conference, COP24 is taking place in Katowice, Poland. It started on the 2nd Dec and will finish on the 14th Dec. 190 countries are meeting at COP24 and must get results on action towards all countries’ Paris Agreement targets.
Teams of students from secondary schools across Reading, representing 15 countries from Fiji to USA, met in the Council Chambers on Wednesday 5th December to carry out their own talks on progress towards the Paris Agreement and try to negotiate raising ambition for more action.
Prof. Paul Williams from University of Reading addressed the children and emphasized the realities of global warming and human interference. Councillor Tony Page, lead member for Strategic Environment, said: “Climate change is a subject which young people rightly feel passionate about. The mock conference was opened by the Mayor of Reading, councillor Debs Edwards and children were asked to exchange ideas to tackle this global problem.
Councillors and Professors at the Summit
What is happening on Climate Change around the world?
On 3rd Dec 2018, Sir David Attenborough said the below at the COP24
“Right now, we are facing a man-made disaster of global scale. Our greatest threat in thousands of years, Climate change. If we don’t take action, the collapse of our civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon.”
The clear messages the students gave for everyone in the Council Chambers were on similar lines too:
the immediacy of the effects of climate change for every country in the world, the effects being especially hard-hitting for vulnerable countries
the complexity of decision-making and contradictions of policy-making, particularly where economic interests based on fossil fuels, and political reticence are taking precedence
the vital part that cooperation between countries can play in increasing momentum by helping to distribute finance, and to learn from great ideas that are already working elsewhere in the world.
School students discussing Climate Change
What can we do locally about Climate Change?
The second part of the conference brought Local Action into sharp focus. The extent of the commitment to climate action by Local Government was strongly conveyed by Cllr Tony Page in his opening words and Chris Beales, Chair of the Reading Climate Change Partnership. He stressed the part that each individual has to play, and what students in particular can do to help galvanise others.
Chris Beales at Reading Schools Climate Change Summit 2018
“…schools are really influential parts of our community, if you pass on what you know about climate change to your fellow students, and teachers…and you all pass on to your friends and families…we can reach a lot of people. And this is such an important issue…we need you to pester, and jump up and down about this until we get it sorted.” – Chris Beales
Sustainability experts from Reading Climate Change Partnership, Reading Council’s Sustainability Team and local organisations provided details of great local initiatives and ways for students to make a difference: from energy use in school, growing food, using green space differently through to signing up to a transport initiative or influencing recycling. Each school went away with at least one idea or ‘pledge’ for what they can do, and ICN will follow to make sure that the tools are in place for going about it.
Our huge thanks go to Reading Borough Council for hosting the event and Reading Climate Change Partnership for its support.
Councillors: The Mayor of Reading Councillor Debs Edwards, Councillor Tony Page, Deputy Leader of the Council
Keynote: Professor Paul D Williams, Professor of Atmospheric Science in the Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading, UK http://www.met.reading.ac.uk/~williams/
Workshop contributors: Nature Nurture, Reading Borough Council Sustainability Team, Reading Climate Change Partnership, Reading International Solidarity Centre, Reading 2050, Stuart Singleton-White COnsultant, University of Reading Dept of Environmental Science.
If you would like to find out more about the project please visit the website https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/north-reading-and-lower-caversham-flood-alleviation-scheme/north-reading-and-lower-caversham-flood-alleviation-scheme
