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Climate Change

Just about every week now we seem to be having the publication of yet another report saying that our climate is changing for the worse and that it’s due to human activity. In other words we are damaging the environment as a result of our actions and the changes we are seeing in the weather are not part of the natural cycle of events.

The latest report came out last Friday from the United Nations panel on climate change. This confirmed how bad things are likely to get in the future unless urgent action is taken now.

By coincidence on the same day as this report was published I was at the Rising Sun Countryside Park to help launch a major new initiative operating at a local and regional level to tackle climate change by helping communities to develop their own renewable energy systems. Once they are set up the systems will generate income from the communities concerned and provide them with sustainable, low cost and reliable energy supplies.

Some projects are already up and running in our region. At Nenthead in the North Pennines a hydro-electric scheme has been set up that generates enough electricity to power nearly 200 homes. In Teesdale 33 village halls have all their energy needs met by renewable energy. In Northumberland the Renewable Energy Company is supplying heat and electricity from diesel generators running on recycled and new vegetable oil.

The importance of these projects is that they show in clear and practical terms what can be done to reduce harmful carbon emissions. Of course, if we are to tackle global warming concerted international action is required but alongside that we can all make our own contribution towards the future of our planet.