Road to ruin, say critics
EVERY petrol and diesel car and vehicle will be banned from all roads across the West Midlands in 20 years under a controversial
£40 billion climate plan also revealed revealed this week.
The vision also includes the creation of a national park and the planting of three million trees, one for every person in the West Midlands.
The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) ‘WM2041’ document includes a series of recommendations to help the region meet the target of a zero-carbon economy by 2041 in response to the ‘climate emergency’.
Encouraging more active travel, cleaner transport, infrastructure changes to support electric vehicles and the transition to more eco-friendly homes, the plan is the first of its kind in the country, acting as a blueprint for the region as it seeks to move away from reliance on fossil fuels and toward a renewable future.
But while its recommendations are far-reaching and radical, environmental groups have warned that, without significant action on aviation emissions and HS2, the plan will have little impact.
Using a set of guiding principles, the combined authority outlined actions to be taken over 5, 10, 15 and 20 years, ranging from incentives to adopt low emitting modes of transport to a transition to more eco-friendly homes.
Leader of Solihull Council and the portfolio holder for the environment, councillor Ian Courts, encouraged people to have their say, with a six-week consultation set to take place if the papers are approved at next week’s WMCA Board meeting.
However, Friends of the Earth activist Chris Crean said that both Birmingham International Airport and HS2 must be dealt with if our region is to truly see a reduction in carbon emissions.
“I think the way in which this is going to be tested is going to be in the actions, the way in which budgets are allocated,” he said.
“And within that there are some significant infrastructure issues right in front of us at this very moment.
“We know that the Oakervee review is being deliberated, over the awful
HS2 scheme.
“And a decision upon whether or not that scheme goes ahead could be taken very, very shortly.
“What we do know is that HS2 is not going to help us reach our climate responsibilities.
“And we all need to seriously address the dangers that HS2 poses to not just the West Midlands but also other parts of the UK, and also the opportunity that it takes away from investing in lower speed, more local, mass transit systems that can get us out of our motor cars, enable more people to walk and cycle and create a much better environment in which people can live.
“Another infrastructure problem that we might well have is how we deal with international aviation.
“We have an ever-expanding airport near Solihull, and we need to look at how we can actually stop exporting our climate emissions to other parts of the world by our dependence on international aviation and shipping.
“But this is a good example of the WMCA showing leadership, by example, and let’s hope that other organisations will be able to follow on from that, and get on board.”