Climate Week calls for social and political action on carbon neutral energy

Grantham Institute for Climate Change signs Climate Week Declaration, urging action on energy efficiency and carbon emissions for the UK

Grantham Institute for Climate Change has signed the Climate Week Declaration, urging social and political action on energy efficiency and carbon emissions for the UK.

A letter signed by 26 Members of Parliament and over 200 social organisations, which calls for national commitment to carbon neutral energy, has received backing from Imperial College London's most senior climate change policy expert.

The Climate Week Declaration urges the UK Government act on recommendations from its expert scientific group, the Committee on Climate Change, making carbon neutral targets in its upcoming Energy Bill.

In signing the Declaration Dr Simon Buckle, Policy Director at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change at Imperial College London, has committed support for Climate Week's mission to address the threat of climate change.

The Grantham Institute is committed to translating climate research into real world impact and effectively communicating scientific knowledge to help shape policies and decision making.

Dr Buckle said: "As individuals we can take action against climate change by reducing or offsetting our emissions from transport use and through energy efficiency at home, including insulation. But there is a lot more we can do within our communities and institutions."

The Climate Week Declaration

Britain must do all it can to create a secure, prosperous and sustainable future by helping to prevent climate change.

We call on the government to maintain its commitment to the Climate Change Act by taking further steps to encourage investment in the green economy, greater use of renewable energy and positive action across society.

The Energy Bill currently being considered in Parliament is an important and urgent example of the commitment needed. We urge the government to act on the recommendation from its own Committee on Climate Change to include decarbonisation targets in the Energy Bill.

Join in with Climate Week activities at Imperial

Climate Week activities are taking place around Imperial this week, including a special lecture on how regenerative cities are the cities of the future, a short film competition and a campaign to promote reusable cups.

Over 3,300 events are happening all over the country to raise awareness of climate change issues. Climate Week is Britain’s biggest climate change campaign held every year, an estimated half a million people will take part this year.

Activities are organised with the aim to showcase practical solutions to combat climate change and inspire actions to create a sustainable future. As well as raising the awareness of the impacts of climate change they encourage individuals to take positive steps towards reducing their carbon footprint and living in a more sustainable way.

The Imperial College Energy Society, with the support from Grantham Institute, have organised a number of events around college for Climate Week. These include a special lecture on regenerative cities, a short film competition and a campaign to promote reusable cups.

Regenerative Cities

Lecture by Professor Herbert Girardet, author, film maker and co-founder of the World Future Council

In this lecture on 4 March, Professor Girardet suggested that in an urbanising world, cities need to engage in renewable energy development and in restoring the damaged ecosystems on whose health we ultimately depend. We can no longer depend on sustainable cities, but need to develop ones which actively regenerate. He went on to talk about strategies for environmentally enhancing relationships between the cities of the future and the ecosystems from which they draw their resources.

Film Competition

Students at Imperial can enter a competition to create a short film or advertisement that encourages the public to reduce their carbon footprint. The most artistically persuasive film will win prizes worth  £500. A screening of the films will be held on Friday 8 March, followed by a reception.

Imperial KeepCup

The Energy Society have partnered with Campus Services at Imperial College London to encourage the use of KeepCups instead of disposable coffee cups. The cups can be purchased from any catering outlets, who are offering two loyalty stamps every time for each use.