'There's no way we'll be Carbon Neutral by 2050'

This isn’t a dramatic statement. Anyone working in renewables or in material science knows this. The simple reason is the mindset.

We say we want to be carbon neutral but the changes required to get there are great, and they cost money. In the past two months I have witnessed poor climatic business decisions from our local councils.

Wychavon District Council approved the extension of Vale Park South, with taxpayers money being spent to build new units that will continue to emit CO2. When questioned about why this was acceptable, the argument was that it was too expensive to make the units more energy efficient.

No numbers given, just the generic ‘too expensive’. These units will still be there in 2050 so who will make them carbon zero and who will pay?

And then we have the recent decision to build a new incinerator in Kidderminster. Incineration means burning and burning generates CO2 emissions.

The arguments made were the usual ‘we need to deal with plastic waste’ and we would be put ‘at risk of losing a planning appeal if councillors tried to find a reason to reject the plan against the recommendation of expert bodies such as the Environment Agency’ but the fact is incinerators generate CO2 emissions. They just do. It is a fact.

And waste incinerators are three times as likely to be situated in the most deprived areas of the UK, which is raising fears about the impact on air quality and the health of vulnerable people. These incinerators will still be here in 2050.

And then there is the South Worcestershire Development Plan. Delayed again but still bringing over 14,000 homes to the area. Most of these will be in Wychavon so our towns will be facing increased congestion, more pressure on drainage and a complete lack of services.

It has been estimated that an average person in Wychavon emits 5.9 tonnes of carbon every year, so an addition of 10,000 homes in Wychavon would indicate an extra 141kt of carbon per year unless significant changes are made.

And the current government plans are not enough. We cannot build enough electric cars, the technicians or materials to install enough heat pumps, we do not have the public transport available and we only have 28 years, two months and two weeks to meet these targets.

And if we keep building carbon emitting infrastructure and buildings now, it will still be my problem in 2050 because I will still be in the workplace! We need to stop robbing our future selves because our present selves don’t want to foot the bill. The technology is here, let’s use it properly.

Cllr Dan Boatright

District and County Councillor for Pershore