The flood we want and need

David Wilkins

Climate change, driven by the emissions from our lifestyles, is the greatest threat to our civilization that we have ever faced.

In the past few days we’ve seen the devastating impact of Storm Bert as it leaves flooding, landslides, ruined livelihoods and grieving communities in its wake. Such once in a lifetime events have become all too common.

The thought of the more frequent and more devastating consequences of climate change haunt us; we fear passing the legacy of our pollution onto our grandchildren. We are desperate for a solution. A real solution that allows us to lead lives still worth living and offers hope for the future.

Glacial

What scares us most is that the odds seem stacked against us. Governments and businesses appear more committed to talking than acting, the pace of change is glacial (pun fully intended!). So, what can we do?

WE can start from the ground up. WE can get started. To use a tired metaphor, we can begin cutting up the elephant. We can focus on small changes that lead to significant outcomes.

Take the daunting goal of decarbonizing electricity generation and transportation – here in Wales, across the UK, and globally. It’s too monumental for any one of us to tackle alone. But I can do a little bit. When I cycle to work instead of driving, I swap my car for my bike. It’s only 7 miles a day, but it’s a manageable change. Now that’s part of my lifestyle, I can look for the next change.

Creating a Flood

If we all start making tiny changes, these tiny positive impacts, like raindrops will add up. Tiny raindrops become streams and rivers and torrents which will wash away the barriers, overcoming the most stubborn of challenges.This is the kind of flood that we need.

However, we also need governments, both in Westminster and Cardiff, willing to embrace this idea. They must stop selfishly clinging to the reins, dictating where money is spent and which approved contractors will pocket millions. Instead, they should empower local councils to loan money to community groups, enabling them to implement small-scale changes tailored to their needs.

We need easier access to finance, so a school can install solar panels on its roof and a community centre can afford to install heat pumps. We need county councils that support small-scale hydro projects and wind turbines. We need a government committed to helping us solve our problems at the local level, fostering innovation within our communities.

Can it be Done?

Yes is the simple answer. Ynni Ogwen, a community benefit society has financed a small scale hydro electric power station on the river Ogwen, in Bethesda. They supply green electricity to the local community, cutting the energy costs of those members of the community involved in the scheme. So successful is the scheme that it’s now reinvesting profits into installing photovoltaic panels, expanding the reach of the project. And, because it’s run by the community, for the community, it hasn’t seen the NIMBY backlash you’d expect.

What holds Us Back

Just this week, Conwy County Councillors supported a proposal to profit from the installation of electric vehicle chargers in County owned and run car parks. This is great, there will be a slice of the profits from these facilities heading back into the County’s wallets BUT, why do we need a private firm to install these? Why not keep it all in house? If money was loaned to Conwy to pay for the installations then the County could keep ALL the profits, repay the loan and profit into the future.

It’s Time

We don’t have the power we need by ourselves to make the big changes, that power is still tightly held by Cardiff and Westminster. But those small changes we’ve started making show we have the willpower. Our voices and actions need to become the catalyst for the changes we desperately need. It’s time for governments to give us the tools we need to solve the problems they are unwilling or unable to fix.

The projects like Ynni Ogwen, your neighbours solar panels and your commitment to walk to work, school or the shops should give us hope that together we can achieve this seemingly impossible task. Alone I can scatter small raindrops of actions, together we can deliver the torrent of change.

David Wilkins is a community activist, Welsh Liberal Democrat, and Colwyn Bay Town Councillor