Change is afoot.
I’ve never stood eye-to-eye politically with the village I have called, for the last 24 years, my home. Whilst not outwardly party political, my family has always had a left-leaning outlook on life that is at odds with the traditionally Conservative views of the Majority. To add further flies to the ointment, I’ve come to realise there is an inherent distrust for Change amongst the movers and shakers of village life. And so, it shouldn’t really surprise me then that the reception to the proposals to build a windfarm on the old airfield has been less than favourable.
As far as I can see, their reasons for saying ‘NO’ are the stock complaints to the wind industry. Appearance, house values and noise top the list along with the general sense that it would lead to an ‘industrialisation’ of the countryside – a bad argument to choose when the proposed site sits opposite the Industrial estate!
Now for a little back-story.
Kimbolton is, with maybe the exception of Cape Town, one of the windiest places I have ever known. I understood the term ‘prevailing wind’ when I was still in Primary School, and soon after learnt that whichever direction you cycle in, you will always be going against the wind.
The village itself is in a shallow valley, but once you’ve climbed the ‘hill’ (and having lived in Cornwall, I use the term loosely), there are very few bumps in the landscape ‘til you hit the Wash. In other words, there’s no natural windbreak. So it’s hardly surprising that the area has been picked out by the planners – it’s perfect!
But what about the site?
Used in WW2 by the American Airforce, the ‘Stop the Bicton Windfarm’ group would like you to believe that it is a historic piece of ground, a cornerstone in the county’s history. Personally, I feel that this report by the BBC is slightly closer to the truth.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I love the airfield. Currently training for a Triathlon, both my running and cycle routes take me up there on a regular basis. And walk up there on a cold, clear autumn evening when the mist rises from the ground, you’ll understand where ghost stories come from – it’s bleak and yet beautiful at the same time.
But the fact of the matter is it’s completely unloved.
I’m not quite sure now where this blog post is going. I fear this may lead to others and I have an unshakeable urge to make mischief building up inside me. My current situation won’t allow me to start a counter-campaign quite yet, but as a once active member of this community, I feel it is my duty to say it how it is.
It all started with a leaflet from the Stop the Bicton Windfarm campaign (which, incidentally is being run by someone I have never heard of (and lets recap I’ve lived here for 24 years!)). This led to a sneak peak at the website, which is, by the way, completely misleading. That photo at the top of the page isn’t the proposed site at all – it’s at the other end of the village. In fact, there isn’t a picture of the proposed site on the whole of the website. It’s truly ridiculous. If you say that the land’ll be ruined by the appearance of these monstrosities, show us the land that’ll be ruined!
I could go on, but I won’t……….. yet.
Gah! It’s the only word to describe the anger, the sheer closed-mindedness, the innate distrust for any sort of positive change and the Nimbyism! As a member of the generation who is going to have to deal with the climate fiasco, I’m standing tall with my convictions.
We, as a nation, nay, as a planet, are soon going to be facing an energy crisis. Wind, whilst it has its faults, is a clean, renewable, and constant source of power. Kimbolton, in this case, is blessed with a strong and reliable wind, which has a definite prevailing direction. Apart from two outlying farms, the proposed site is far away from all the villages stated in the website, and will help secure a greener future for the generation to come.
Something has to be done, because if the planet continues to warm and the sea-level predictions are true then, as I said before, the land surrounding Kimbolton is flat from here to the sea!
I am planning on writing a letter to our village magazine in support of the proposals, which I hope will lead to a reasoned debate of the issue.
)
Tomorrow’s World, Today’s Problem Saturday, December 5, 2009
Tags: 38 degrees, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Climate Change, copenhagen, Ed Miliband, Environment, Gordon Brown, green, New Internationalist, Offsetting, Relient K, solutions, sustainability, UN Climate Summit
Devastation and Reform – Relient K
Next week, leaders from across the globe will travel to Denmark for the much awaited UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen. Over the course of two weeks, our elected representatives will discuss and debate ways to tackle the ever present threat of man-made Climate Change and, hopefully, broker a deal which will make significant in-roads into cutting the world’s carbon emissions.
Ok, so Relient K didn’t write this song about the environment, the message behind the words warns us not to burn the bridges between those we love because, once broken, they can never fully be rebuilt. But after listening live to MP Ed Miliband’s live conference call organised by 38 degrees this morning, it dawned on me that these lyrics are just as pertinent with regards our treatment of the world around us.
Back in August, I was given a copy of the Green Bible for my birthday, which includes an enlightening foreword by Nobel Laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. In it he discredits all those who would claim to be Christian but fail to realise the consequences our wasteful society is having on the environment which surrounds us. ‘We must act now and wake up to our moral obligations,’ he writes.
‘Irreplaceable natural resources.’ Just as Relient K point out, we are destroying everything we love and as much as we would like to turn back the clock, the damage has been done. All we can do now is to find ways to halt the destruction so that there is still hope for the generations to come.
And so we come to the crux of the argument. Offsetting.
I’m sure we’ve all seen the Simpsons episode where Bart finds the Bolivian tree Lizards, which then get loose and begin to eat all the birds in Springfield. In their short-sighted fashion, the town council then decide to release Chinese Needle Snakes to deal with the lizards and then snake-eating gorillas to deal with the snakes, and so they go on. Yes, this may be a ridiculous and far-fetched anecdote, but it serves to demonstrate the danger of only thinking in the short-term.
Carbon offsetting is in no way a solution to the environmental problems we are facing. And any ’solution’ which enables us to continue to devour our natural resources and continue to emit immense amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, is too dangerous to even consider.
Tolkien wrote that it is not for us to decide what happens to us in our lifetimes, instead we must ” decide what to do with the time that is given to us”. It is no secret that Tolkien disliked the industrialisation of the English countryside and I would like to believe that he would fully support the move to ensuring real carbon cuts and a greener, more sustainable future. In this mindset, I use these words to urge our leaders and elected representatives to be fully aware that moments like this are unique. The next two weeks offer a real chance to commit to a lasting change and a safer environental future. Of course cuts without offsetting will not be easy, but the old adage rings true and so, ‘if it is worth doing, then it is worth doing properly.’
And so, I am using my voice to petition Prime Minister, Gordon Brown to hold true to his pledge for an ambitious deal in Copenhagen and not to bow to the naysayers and agree to Carbon offsetting or trading.
From the Petition to Gordon Brown by 38 Degrees
Prime Minister, the public are angry about the failure to seriously address the issue of climate change and carbon emissions, and now is the time to raise our collective head from the sand and face our demons head on. Tomorrow’s world is Today’s problem.