When you hit people in their pockets they really start to notice what you’re at.
And never has that been so clear than in the last few months, when the price of fossil fuels have gone through the roof.
I’m thankful people are waking up to the impact their supremacy has on us all, even if it isn’t for environmental reasons. But if the dire situation we all now find ourselves in teaches us anything, it’s that we have to escape their grip.
Read more: Electric Ireland price hike expected in May
Meanwhile UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is stupidly considering reopening England’s fracking fields as part of his new 10-year energy strategy and giving the North Sea oil fields “a new lease of life”.
His new nuclear sites, while not a thrilling prospect because of the deadly waste they create, don’t fill me with as much dread for some reason but I think he’s missing a great opportunity to consign all fossil fuels to our industrial past.
Boris can say this new strategy builds on his 10-point plan for a green industrial revolution all he likes, but when he advocates for fracked gas and oil development the same week the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change change said ‘it’s now or never’ to the save the world - I’m seriously questioning his commitment to the climate crisis.
I know “we can’t simply pull the plug on all fossil fuels overnight without the lights going out all over Europe” but more gas and oil extraction is not the answer.
The IPCC has even given us a roadmap for what we need to do - and it’s not fracking or more oil and gas.
It’s widescale electrification of homes and cars, it’s insulating the life out of our homes to keep what heat we need to create in for longer, it’s leaving land to rewild and it’s ensuring industry tows the line to keep 1.5 degrees of global warming.
The solutions are all there and they could save us all fortune in terms of bills and further environmental harm - we just need politicians who are willing to act in our best interests.
The vast majority of our homes are heated with increasingly expensive fossil fuels, we drive around in diesel and petrol cars that are costing us and the earth a fortune and our homes are an energy efficiency nightmare where we pay through our noses to heat the streets.
A bit of insulation and draft proofing could save around 20% on our heating bills.
So, as the Northern Ireland Assembly candidates come a knocking for your vote, here are some questions you can ask them:
- Why is Northern Ireland not investing in renewables which are now far cheaper than oil and gas?
- When will we get grants to insulate our homes, install electric heating systems, quadruple glazing and put solar panels on our roofs to drive our bills down?
- Where’s the community grants for wind and solar farms?
- And why can’t they extend the grants available to buy electric cars?
- We also need to know what they plan to do about the fact that oil and gas are massively skewing the price we are being charged, even for renewable energy?
Energy is one thing that affects us all, but so does polluted air, waterways and land.
I’m sure all those sea swimmers out there would like to know how our future MLAs plan to stop the 7 million tonnes of raw sewage being pumped into our waterways.
And what they propose to do with our worsening records on air pollution and ammonia emissions impacting our air.
Will they install more than the 20-something air quality monitors we now have - some of which always seem to be on the blink - while most don’t even monitor the worst kind of air pollution?
And the biggest question of all.
- When we will get an independent environment agency to keep on top of whether Stormont is doing the right thing by our environment, us and the wildlife we share our land and seas with?
I for one think we need a hell of a lot more transparency on decisions being made about our environment up on the hill and in councils across the region.
So grill them on what they plan to do in the biggest fight of our generation - it’s the only way we’ll see the changes needed.
Blooming lovely
Northern Ireland Amenity Council’s Best Kept NI Awards are back after a two-year Covid invoked hiatus.
So if you think your town, village or housing estate are blooming fabulous - why not enter.
Awards like these are amazing at encouraging civic pride and bringing neighbours together to plant and maintain everything from gorgeous flower beds that help the bees to community gardens everyone can benefit from.
“If one good thing has come out of lockdown, it was that gardening became one of the heroes of the crisis,” says Doreen Muskett, President of the NIAC.
“It was heart-warming to learn that taking time in the garden helped so many people cope during the months of social isolation. “So many people were able to gain a sense of peace and well-being through nature, and our amazing community champions continued to make their areas better places to live and work, throughout this tough time.”
This year will see the Best Kept Awards join with Ireland’s TidyTowns for the 25th Year, to celebrate ‘Ireland’s Best Kept Town’ at Titanic Hotel Belfast, in June.
The closing date for The Best Kept Town, Village and Housing Area Awards closes on May 1, 2022.
Visit www.bestkeptawardsni.com or call the NI Amenity Council on 028 9040 3681 for info on how to enter.
Charging ahead
A huge round of applause for Northern Ireland electricity grid operator SONI.
They’ve only gone and upgraded our system so well it can now handle 75% of power coming from renewables like wind and solar.
And since it’s a world first, it’s a really big deal.
I can’t wait for the day when every bit of electric we need comes from renewable sources.
“It is a critical step in Northern Ireland’s pathway to net zero and is a key part of reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and exposure to volatile global energy prices,” said Alan Campbell, Managing Director of SONI.
I agree.
Eggistential crisis
As Easter gets closer and our eyeballs are assaulted with never ending stacks of Easter eggs in shops up and down the country, I urge you to have a wee think about which ones to buy.
A man who knows a bit about recycling recently told me what we chuck in the bin rises considerably during annual celebrations.
With that in mind, I hope you’ll all have a wee think about the source of the chocolate in the eggs you buy as well as they packaging they come in.
If we are to encourage retailers to make the shift to fair trade chocolate and totally recyclable packaging, this is how.
Leave the plastic smothered eggs smothered on the shelf and give those who’ve considered the waste they’re creating a chance.
I’d also urge you to have a think about how many eggs kids need. I know they love comparing numbers with their pals at school but there’s really no need for 12 or 14 of the things.
Think about their wee teeth.
Read more: Campaigners want oil and gas exploration ban over 'fuel poverty lock-in' fears
Read more: UK Gov gives £986k to NI project based on 'gas caverns' being legally challenged
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