Climate Change Challenge 2007
Climate Change Challenge 2007
Bristol sixth-formers storm the corridors of power with climate challenge
30 November 2007
Sixth-formers from schools in Bristol and South Gloucestershire have been challenging officials from their two councils and national government to do more to fight climate change at a one-day conference organised by the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) at the Bristol Council House on 30 November.
Over 100 students, teachers, local government representatives and industry experts were in the audience. Officials, who included Kate Campion (Programme Director for Bristol Young People and Children's Services), Derek Pickup (Bristol City Council Executive Member for Children and Young People), Lorraine Hudson (Bristol City Climate Change and Built Environment Coordinator) and Peter Jackson (Director of Planning, Transport and Strategic Development for South Glos) came under some serious scrutiny.
The students pulled no punches in their quest to find out exactly how their local councils were going to live up to the Prime Minister's recently renewed commitments to cut carbon emissions and increase the proportion of energy from renewable sources to 20% by 2020.
Students from Ashton Park and St Mary Redcliffe walked to the conference in a bid to emphasise their commitment to the environment. Students from the South Gloucestershire schools shared lifts to the conference.
Heated debate
The day kicked off with heated debates with industry experts from fields like nuclear energy and aviation. Alan Davies (Director of Planning and Development at Bristol Airport) and Trevor Houghton (Senior Consultant for CAG Consultants) debated foreign flights in a low carbon future; Dr David Clubb (CSE Senior Project Manager) and Ben Salisbury (PVCW engineer from British Energy) went head-to-head on nuclear energy; and Peter Lipman (Sustrans) and Guy Hitchcock (Quantock Energy & Environment) discussed the future of transport in Bristol.
Motivated sixth-formers also gave multi-media presentations outlining their ideas on what should be done to combat climate change. Their presentations were informed by research into climate change which they undertook as part of the Climate Change Challenge project run with support from CSE.
Gaynor Lewis, CSE Education Project Manager said: "The students had some strong views and put forward very compelling arguments. They asked searching questions about what is being done and told their councils what important areas they think should be tackled. They were informed, enthusiastic and very persuasive.
"As they are our future tax payers and business and government leaders, it is crucial that we involve them in the debate and that we take their opinions into account and events like the Climate Change Challenge conference are an excellent way of doing that".