| Cambridge City Council | |
|---|---|
| Polling Date: | 2nd May 2019 |
| Ward: | East Chesterton |
| Candidates (by surname): | Gareth BAILEY (Green Party) Gerri BIRD (Labour Party) Peter BURKINSHAW (UKIP) Timur COSKUN (Conservative Party) Owen DUNN (Liberal Democrat) |
Question 1
Do you agree that elected officials should now be responding to climate change as an emergency? Please answer yes or no. If ‘yes’, what do you mean by this? If ‘no’, why not?
Gareth BAILEY (Green Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
Gerri BIRD (Labour Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
Peter BURKINSHAW (UKIP) No. Climate change is a global phenomenon and action at council level is inappropriate.
The build up of CO2 has been continuing for 250 years or more and cannot be reversed in a short period. It will take a similar number of centuries to even reach an equilibrium let alone reverse it.
Timur COSKUN (Conservative Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
Owen DUNN (Liberal Democrat) Yes. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change believes that a global temperature rise above 1.5 degrees C in the next 12 years will risk bringing drought, floods, extreme heat and poverty to hundreds of millions of people. For our sake, for the sake of all around the world, and for our and their children, we need to act now.
While we do also need action at national and international level, local government can and should act now to minimise the City’s contribution to climate change.
Question 2
Do you support the setting of a net zero carbon target for the city of Cambridge? If ‘Yes’ when do you think we should be aiming for Cambridge to be net zero carbon? If ‘no’, why not?
Gareth BAILEY (Green Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
Gerri BIRD (Labour Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
Peter BURKINSHAW (UKIP) No. A conurbation will always produce more CO2 than a rural area and we share the atmosphere with the rest of the planet.
Timur COSKUN (Conservative Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
Owen DUNN (Liberal Democrat) Yes. It is an emergency, and we can’t wait until 2050 as Cambridge Labour wants. Our manifesto pledges to aim for net zero carbon emissions by 2030. Larger cities than Cambridge have already adopted this target, and I believe having a firm target will focus the City’s minds on developing policies and solutions to achieve it.
Question 3
Cambridge City Council is a central organisation in Cambridge. What do you think its role is in local leadership in relation to climate action? What specific additional actions in relation to climate change do you support the City Council doing in the coming 12 months?
Gareth BAILEY (Green Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
Gerri BIRD (Labour Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
Peter BURKINSHAW (UKIP) None.
Timur COSKUN (Conservative Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
Owen DUNN (Liberal Democrat) The City Council should lead by example: to other local councils; to national government; to the City’s residents. It should put its own house in good climate order by investing in energy efficiency for its own property portfolio, and through the way it provides services it should encourage the public to behave in ways that affect the climate less: more and better recycling, less single-use plastic waste, more repair cafes to help residents fix things rather than throw them away.
The Council should use its convening power to bring together residents, academics, and local businesses to develop a strategy to face the 2030 challenge, and should seek additional funding to achieve this goal, both from central government and from other potential sponsors.
Question 4
Green spaces and trees remove carbon dioxide and other pollutants from the atmosphere, provide shade, help reduce flooding and often contribute to a feeling of well being. Would you support a more ambitious tree planting programme in Cambridge city? Also, suggestions have been made recently to create new areas of woodland around Cambridge. Would you support ambitious tree planting programmes around Cambridge city?
Gareth BAILEY (Green Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
Gerri BIRD (Labour Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
Peter BURKINSHAW (UKIP) Yes. To do it properly, you would have to scrap having empty green spaces being used for fairgrounds and fireworks which are all adding to unnecessary CO2 emissions.
Timur COSKUN (Conservative Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
Owen DUNN (Liberal Democrat) Yes, we need trees! They help reduce climate change and increase biodiversity. I have in particular been campaigning for more trees and planting along Cambridge’s main routes so that they can be “green arteries”. Planting which removes pollutants from the atmosphere will help make cycling and walking more pleasant which will itself promote these as an alternative to the private car.
I support planting new woodlands in and around Cambridge, and we’ve already seen this starting in the new developments in the south of the City. Lib Dems would insist on a similar level of tree planting in the proposed Marshalls airfield and Northern Fringe developments.
Question 5
Finally, do you know the size of your own Carbon Footprint? Can you identify one thing you’d like to change but haven’t yet managed to move your own carbon footprint towards zero carbon?
Gareth BAILEY (Green Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
Gerri BIRD (Labour Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
Peter BURKINSHAW (UKIP) No. Individual carbon footprints are meaningless. There are too many diverse services and circumstances to give it meaning.
Timur COSKUN (Conservative Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
Owen DUNN (Liberal Democrat) My carbon footprint is (depending on which calculator you use!) about 7-10 tonnes. I don’t drive, and walk or cycle as my main way of getting around Cambridge.
To move closer to zero, I would like to improve my house’s insulation and get more energy from solar panels.