More spin or will mistakes be admitted?
“When you make a mistake there are only three things you should ever do about it, admit it, learn from it and don’t repeat it”, so the saying goes.
Two weeks ago, in Viewpoint, Cllr Donna Stimson, someone I know has passion for her brief, appeared to be setting up a U-turn and apology for a mistake when heralding the Climate Change strategy process.
On Friday, the day before the International one-day Climate Summit, a new RBWM climate strategy was published.
Could the U turn be using the scientific evidence, specifically generated for RBWM from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change that I sourced a year ago? Surely not when reference to this was removed and the Cabinet knowingly and unanimously chose a carbon reduction trajectory twice that allowed by the science, putting us on track for 2 degrees warming. Withdrawal of voluntary support and resignation of the founder of the Climate Coalition followed. You’ve guessed it, the Tyndall Centre Trajectories have now been proposed because of “consultation”.
Will there be admission of mistake tonight with a 30-day action plan explaining the cost and pain, both necessary and, agreeing a talent led, independent community board to drive the program? Or will it be spin?
A year to write the first hapless strategy, the same period it took from hearing of COVID to getting a vaccine. Science triumphs when the chips are down.” We are led by the science, sound familiar? No consultations on lockdown. You just do it in a crisis. The climate is way more of an existential threat than COVID, yet the issue ambles at the pace and incoherence of the Local Plan.
Ignoring the science, wasted time. The last RBWM yearly figures showed just 3.6 per cent annual emission reduction. The RBWM goal is now to reduce emissions by 50 per cent in four years (1 per cent per month). No chance, given the strategy is still, devoid of vision, has no relevant quantifiable actions or accountability, un prioritised, non-fundable and the Local Plan makes emissions worse. No learnings here.
Will the mistake be repeated? Almost certainly, unless RBWM act non-politically and listen to implementation experts explaining precisely how, in less than 1500 days, our emissions can be half.
The strategy will be voted on tonight (Thursday) at the cabinet meeting. Watch on YouTube live. Will any councillor challenge the process? No doubt it will be approved unanimously.
We’re doing COVID we can do climate, it just takes leadership, pace and no basic mistakes.
PAUL STRZELECKI Berries Road Cookham