Author archive: designworks

The UK’s new Parliament, elected in May last year, has a historic responsibility. It is the last Parliament that can take action to avoid runaway climate change. The science tells us that global emissions need to peak during the current decade and decline steeply thereafter. Representatives of all parties in the next Parliament will need to lead the UK toward this low carbon future.

There are huge benefits for countries who can take the lead in low carbon technologies and approaches, from energy security to more resilient communities.

The new Parliament in 2010 is the last window of opportunity to » Continue Reading.

Housing and planning policy should be governed by the proximity principle: the idea that compact cities, towns and villages produce the best social, economic and environmental outcomes.

Proximity brings people, shops, schools and healthcare closer together. It drives creativity and innovation. It means less distance to travel: people are more likely to walk or cycle, which in turn makes streets safer and more welcoming. There are environmental advantages, too, with less land and energy required.

Before the development of modern transport, proximity was achieved automatically. But today, it requires careful planning and intervention by government. Yet government policy is contradictory. » Continue Reading.

A building services manager for a local council. A Cumbrian hill farmer. A high-end concierge service. And a Bath-based leadership coach. These are not the people who you would expect to be pioneering solutions to climate change. Yet each of them is responsible for innovations that could put us on the path to a lower-carbon society.

We know that we need to reduce our carbon emissions drastically. The latest reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change show an acceleration in the rate of changes to the global climate. In October 2006, the Stern Report on the economics of climate » Continue Reading.

This report, published in April 2006, argues that we will only succeed in tackling climate change and increasing energy security if we take a step back and think about the purpose of our energy system, and the role of individuals within it.

The report, published by Green Alliance in association with the think-tank Compass, puts forward a new and very different energy future: one that envisages a much more active role for individuals and communities. One in which the energy system is no longer remote and centralised, but embedded in our lives and homes. Where energy » Continue Reading.

Published by the Policy Studies Institute, this report proposes a ‘green living initiative’ to encourage households to adopt more sustainable lifestyles. It recommends a radical overhaul of the tax system, proposing inefficiency charges on products that waste energy and water, and incentives to reward consumers for making greener choices.

The report argues that tax incentives should be linked to clear information, advice and branding. For example, inefficiency charges, levied on products such as disposable batteries and garden sprinklers, should be accompanied by prominent messages about the reason for the charge. A Council Tax reduction for energy efficient homes, together » Continue Reading.