How would the Sid Valley generate its own power? There are different ways to do large-scale stretches of solar panels: covering roofs and creating solar farms are the most obvious – and both have been in the news lately. SOLAR ROOFS Shopping centre bosses have been given the green light to cover its buildings with… Read More »Solar roofs and solar farms in the news
Whilst some commentators consider that net zero has exposed the shocking neglect of rural Britain, others are looking to practical ways of heating rural homes and achieving net zero. And as we look to the general election, the Rural Services Network looks to how politicians can go about Achieving Net Zero in Rural Communities. Here’s a pretty impressive… Read More »Getting to rural net zero
Heat pumps are again in the news, with grants having just been extended to more homes as the ‘boiler tax’ is delayed by the government, as reported in the This is Money website – which also gives a very handy overview of the changes. The problem with heat pumps is that most of us are very unaware… Read More »A good look at heat pumps
It is possible to progress from eco-anxiety to eco-action – to go from despair and paralysis to just getting on with it. And it’s especially important to engage youngsters on the issues around the climate and environment – as mental illness is on the increase in young people here in Sidmouth. So, how can we stay sane in the climate crisis? The… Read More »How to stay sane: care, collective action and counterbalance
This is quite a good news story: Global energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions rose less strongly in 2023 than the year before, even as total energy demand growth accelerated, new IEA analysis shows, with continued expansion of solar PV, wind, nuclear power and electric cars helping the world avoid greater use of fossil fuels. The… Read More »Good news: The growth in renewables limits global emissions
How much will ‘doing things to stop climate change’ cost us? Simon Evans writing in the Guardian last September noted how a thinktank got the cost of net zero for the UK wildly wrong – and that Civitas’s deeply flawed report was timed to follow the PM’s speech in which he called for an ‘honest approach’ to… Read More »How much will climate change cost us?
Exeter Community Energy are keen to work with people within our communities to help them address the issues of energy efficiency, the challenge of heating bills and availability of funding support. They are happy to come and meet you to explain their service and help you to identify people who can benefit from this free… Read More »Exeter Community Energy: call for a free visit to see how you can save energy!
THE EVOLUTION FROM CLIMATE DENALISM TO CLIMATE ANXIETY: We now know how the oil industry made us doubt climate change. Some years on, it has been suggested that Big Oil [who ‘fully owned the villain role’ in 2023, the hottest year ever recorded] and its many lobbyists [notably at 55 Tufton Street] have retreated from the now… Read More »How to progress from eco-anxiety to eco-action
Can we talk about this in Sidmouth? What can we do to reduce our carbon footprint through diet and the use of agricultural land? One approach is to help reduce carbon emissions by making choices about what we eat. And here in East Devon, these choices are not only personal but have a much wider… Read More »The Plant-Based Treaty: food, agriculture and the climate
Several Sidmouth churches are partners in the CAPS project – the Sid Valley Mission Community (Anglican), Primley United Reformed Church and The Most Precious Blood (Catholic) – and others will hopefully be joining anon. For some time now, the Sidmouth churches have been active with the Our Fragile Earth programme, with an excellent overview of how to understand, approach and act… Read More »The churches and the climate