This collection of essays, speeches & articles Introduces Green Economics and the Citizens Income to the general reader!
Edited by Clive Lord, Miriam Kennet and Judith Felton
Just Published by the Green Economics Institute

This fresh perspective on the theme of how to stop mankind over-exploiting the Earth challenges reassurances that scientific warnings are unduly pessimistic. The fate of Easter Island offers new insights into the dynamics driving economic expansion, and why the major players can never know how or when to stop. Lord outlines how a so-called ‘primitive' tribe solved the problem which devastated Easter Island, and which now confronts us globally, by a cultural shift based on a strategy of sharing necessities unconditionally, allowing other rules for everything else.

Lord explains why such a strategy is an essential precondition for a sustainable world, and how it can be adopted nationally and internationally. Practical measures, however vital once such a shift has taken place, will do more harm than good if used instead to prop up the existing growth oriented mind-set.

Book Overview: 7 parts. No. of pages 337 ISBN: 9781907543074
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: Concepts: Tragedy of the commons, etc.
Part 3: A way out: Making it happen
Part 4: Wider Implications: How the Citizens' Income can form the basis for a paradigm shift
Part 5: Tactical and strategic implications for implementation
Part 6: Case studies of new developments
Part 7: There are no utopias

Normal RRP £ 30.00 plus postage and packing
£20.00 plus p and p if ordered direct from the Green Economics Institute
Special Price £14.99 if bought at one of the four Book Launches in Leeds:
Central Library, The Headrow 22nd May 10am-12 noon & 2pm-4pm
Branch Library North Lane Headingley 23rd May 7pm-9pm
Branch Library 106 Harrogate Rd.Chapel Allerton 24th May 7pm-9pm

The Climate Jobs Caravan - which is travelling around the country during May will be coming to Huddersfield on 20th May. Coming with the Caravan will be a visiting speaker John Stewart Chair of the Campaign Against Climate Change and former chair of HCAN, the group that successfully opposed the Third Runway at Heathrow. He was involved in writing the One Million Climate Jobs Report.

There are three main events.

12pm-2pm Climate Jobs Caravan in Slaithwaite, Carr Lane Car Park (Next to the Canal)
An event co-organised with Marsden and Slaithwaite Transition Town.
Come along and watch the One Million Climate Jobs film in the back of the Caravan van, learn from MASTT about their Warmer Homes project and hear about the campaign.

3.30-4.45pm Walking Tour of Renewables and low energy Newsome.
Green Councillor Andrew Cooper will lead a walking Energy tour of Newsome explaining the history and politics behind different sites!

Arrive at 4.45pm for 5.00pm start (event finishes at 6.30pm) Newsome Scout Hut. Newsome Rd South Climate Jobs Caravan
Public Meeting 'The role of government in the race out of carbon'
Chaired by David Browning, Kirklees Environment Partnership.

Speakers
Visiting speaker John Stewart Chair of the Campaign Against Climate Change and former chair of HCAN, the group that successfully opposed the Third Runway at Heathrow.
Andrew Cooper Green Party, Leader of Green group on Kirklees Council
Adrian Cruden on The New Economics Foundation's Green New Deal
John Drewery Huddersfield TUC
Edgar Holroyd-Doveton Kirklees Independent councillor.
Mehboob Khan Labour, Leader of Labour group on Kirklees Council.

Please note: Every councillor in Kirklees and every MP in Kirklees was invited to participate in this event.

Andrew Cooper, sitting councillor for Newsome ward and Green group leader on Kirklees, won decisively against a major Labour campaign. Andrew won 2,354 votes - 52.9% of the total against Labour's 1,552. Andrew continues to serve Newsome alongside Green colleagues Cllr Julie Stewart-Turner and Cllr Graham Simpson.

In nearby Kirkburton ward, Parish Councillor Robert Barraclough stepped up a tier to become a Kirklees Councillor after beating the sitting Conservative councillor by 1,658 to 1,635 votes - Labour were a distant third on 759 votes with the Lib Dems evaporating to just 74. Robert joins Cllr Derek Hardcastle to become the second Green representative for Kirkburton ward and the fifth on Kirklees Council.

Elsewhere, Green Party-backed Independent and anti-LDF campaigner, Charles Greaves, took Holme Valley North by a wide margin. Green candidates performed well in many wards, beating the Lib Dems in 10 wards on top of Newsome and Kirkburton and on average taking over 12.2% of the vote share.

Overall, Greens hold 5 seats on Kirklees Council, up 1; Labour have 32, up 5; Tories 18, down 3; Lib Dems 10, down 4; and Independents 4, up 1. 

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO VOTED GREEN! 

Cllr Robert Barraclough, newly elected for Kirkburton ward.

 Cllr Andrew Cooper, re-elected for Newsome ward.

ELECT ROBERT BARRACLOUGH FOR KIRKBURTON WARD!

VOTE GREEN PARTY ACROSS KIRKLEES FOR REAL CHANGE FOR YOU & YOUR COMMUNITY!

Greens are standing scross Kirklees and campaigning for real change. Our candidates are dedicated to supporting local communities and enterprises, finding new ways of bringing people together and creating a future for our district that is sustainable and better for everyone. In all we have candidates in 19 of the 23 wards - in Holme Valley North, we hope voters will support the Independent candidate, who will work with us.

Cllr Andrew Cooper is leader of the Green Party group on Kirklees Council and is up for re-election in the Newsome ward, which he represents with his Green colleagues, Cllr Julie Stewart-Turner and  Cllr Graham Simpson. Greens have worked with local people to make a huge difference to Newsome, including the 1000 fruit tree project, local food initiatives, energy efficiency schemes that have delivered real savings to local people and organisations, and a host of other action to improve the local area.

In Kirkburton ward, the current Green Party Councillor, Derek Hardcastle, hopes to be joined by Robert Barraclough. Robert is currently a Parish Councillor for Farnley Tyas on Kirkburton Parish Council, which he has been Chair of and where the Greens are the largest party. Robert is a local farmer and has worked for years in the local community. With Greens and others, he has played a big part in a range of schemes to support the villages across Kirburton ward and he recently backed Derek Hardcastle's budget initiative that has won Shepley library a reprieve from closure for at least an extra year.

Greens across Kirklees are campaigning against cuts to public services, especially those agreed by the three other parties for children, older people and disabled people's services.

- against the current Local Development Framework and its plans for huge new housing and commercial developments across Kirklees and on greenbelt. Greens originally proposed the smallest increase in housing of all the parties, with no building on greenbelt, and we will continue to work for this.  

- in favour of new community budgets to give real power and financial backing to local communities to choose what sort of services they want. This would draw down money that is not available to Kirklees, so would not be at any cost to existing services.

- in favour of more initiatives to support local food, local businesses and co-operatives, public transport and local democracy (we have always supported breaking up Kirklees, which was originally set up by the Tories). We stand for a fairer and more equal society - we can start making that change here, this week.

So, on Thursday, make a difference! Vote for the Green Party! 

Above: Green Party leader Caroline Lucas visited Kirklees last month and met Parish Cllr Robert Barraclough (centre) and Cllr Andrew Cooper (right). 

Robert highlighted some misleading claims the Conservatives have been putting out in their leaflets, including one which suggested that the Conservatives "allocated money for the retention of both Shepley and Kirkburton libararies" in their Kirklees' budget proposal. In fact, says Robert, "The Conservatives, along with Labour and the Lib Dems, actually took the money out of the Library service in the first place in the budget of the previous year. The Green Party were the only party to vote against this. Kirkburton Library has never been under threat and the Green Party have won a reprieve for Shepley Libaray."

Robert's full message can be read by following this link HERE. 

Robert Barraclough campaigning in Grange Moor 

Many people do not realize the scale of the reforms that the Tory - Lib Dem government are making.
Cuts to local authority funding mean that every family in Kirklees will see essential services cut, or become more expensive. From school transport, library services, dog wardens, home care, road maintenance and a whole range of other services provided by local authorities government funding is being reduced.

Cuts to the police service already mean that there are 5,000 fewer police officers available to answer 999 calls than when this government came to power, with more cuts to follow.

Changes proposed for the legal aid system mean that no help will be available for medical negligence or domestic violence claims. Or to fight the withdrawal of benefits or refusal of invalidity claims (which currently have an appeal success rate of 70%)

Many people wrongly believe that the sweeping changes to the welfare benefit system in place already or shortly to become law, will only affect the unemployed.

While the cuts will affect those seeking work, they will also affect people with severe medical conditions who will find it harder to qualify for invalidity benefit. It will also affect those on low incomes who receive help with their rents, as well as those receiving council tax discounts and exemptions.

· From April 2013, national council tax benefits will be abolished and replaced with a raft of local schemes.

· The age at which single people will only be allowed housing benefit for shared accommodation is to be raised from 25 to 35.

· Working tax credit will now only be available for people working a minimum of 24 hours a week rather than 16.

· Under occupancy rules mean that Housing Benefit will not be paid towards bedrooms deemed to be unneeded. (A son or daughter at University will be classed as living there, rather than at their parents address, and same sex children of any age will be expected to share a bedroom.

· Housing Benefit for rented accommodation will be capped at the bottom 30% of the market rate and any extra will have to be found by the claimant.

It is unlikely that any resident will be immune from the cuts, either personally or through the experiences of family or friends. If you require help or advice please contact Kirklees Benefit Advice Service on 01484 223950.

Andrew is leader of the Greens on Kirklees Council and has driven forward a wide range of initiatives that have benefited people in Newsome and more widely across the Kirklees area. This has included introducing the free component of the Kirklees Warmzone, which has provided insulation to both private and rented homes across the district, saving money, energy and carbon and creating local jobs. He has also been instrumental in Kirklees implementing a number of renewable energy programmes which have again saved both money and reduced pollution.

Andrew's full message can be seen by FOLLOWING THIS LINK HERE. 

CLLR ANDREW COOPER 

Greens are also committed to opposing cuts to services while ensuring good value for money. Greens have been committed to more local democracy since we were established and have argued for splitting Kirklees District for many years. Regardless of what happens with this, we have also proposed a new policy on budgeting to give real power to local communities and people on how public services are run and money spent in their area.

For full details, PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK. 

"It is crazy that billions are being spent on shaving a few minutes off the journey times from Birmingham to London with the HS2 projecty when local rail services are in dire need of investment."
The Penistone Line which is served by Berry Brow Station is a single track route for most of the route to Sheffield and much of the rolling stock is old and in frequent need of maintenance. A new study has shown how train frequency can be doubled by rerouting existing trains from other lines but real progress will only be achieved if the service becomes dual line.

Greens support bringing the railways back into public ownership. 

Caroline Lucas MP with Cllr Andrew Cooper at Huddersfield station. 

Adrian Cruden, Dewsbury South candidate, speaks against the LDF 

Speaking to the crowd, Adrian Cruden said:

"The current LDF is flawed in many ways. In particular, the statistics being used are wrong: for example, Kirklees claims that the Office of National Statistics predicts a rise in Kirklees' working age population of a little under 40,000 - but if you look at the figures on the ONS website, it is clear that someone at Kirklees has double vision. That's because the figure there is just 19,000, barely half of what Kirklees claims it is."

Adrian also called for a fuller appraisal of the number of currently unoccupied houses around Dewsbury and effective action to be taken by Kirklees using its legal powers to bring empty houses back into use if they are vacant for more than six months.

He also called for the many empty properties in the town centre to be redesignated for domestic use, bringing much needed life back to the area with its solid, well-built but increasingly neglected and dilapidated buildings. "Build up, not out. Refurbish, renew and regenerate our town."

He concluded, "As it stands, the only people to benefit from the current LDF will be builders seeking land to build on at low cost and sell for the highest price. It is about profit, not people; about communities, not cash."

He said the Green Party would continue to work with others from across the political spectrum and the wide range of community groups to stop the LDF and to face any further challenges from the national Government's new development plans as well.

Speaking to local people after the rally, Tony Kelsall added his concerns that the national Conservative government, aided particularly by George Osborne's plans to use development to fuel economic growth, would mean that the threat to the greenbelt would not simply disappear if the current LDF is voted down.

Tony Kelsall, Dewsbury East candidate, at the Shaw Cross rally. 

Unspecified cuts of over a million pounds were made last year in an agreement between th Coalition parties and Kirklees' ruling Labour group. However, action by Kirkburton Green Party Councillor, Derek Hardcastle, has won at least a reprieve for Shepley library up to March 2014.

When Kirklees officials indicated that the staff costs for Shepley library amount to around £24,000 per year, Derek identified that the funding allocated to Kirkburton by the local Area Committee was underspent by a similar amount for 2011/12 and he proposed that it should be used to keep the library open. His proposal meant some reallocating of money between different official headings, but it means that there is now time to develop a longer-term plan to keep this key public service open. Kirklees Cabinet has now backed the plan.

Green Party councillors on Kirkburton Parish Council have called for a dialogue with Kirklees Council to secure the library service. Parish Councillor Robert Barraclough, who is candidate for the Kirkburton ward in the Kirklees elections on 3 May, said, "We don't want our Library facilities to be picked off one by one. We want a secure future for libraries which are some of Kirklees Council's only contact point in many communities."

Green Councillors hear the news that Shepley Library is safe, at least for now, from the Council leader.

Garry talked about the Greens' ideas for promoting small businesses as well as co-operatives and community enterprises, including community-owned banks. A number of studies show that locally owned businesses keep more money in local communities and, especially where local produce is prioritised for sale, has a much lower carbon footprint than chainstores.

Garry has blogged on how small businesses are good for communities and details how the Green Party proposes to foster them - you can read more by clicking HERE.

The Greens recently won three by-elections for Kirkburton Parish Council, all from the Conservatives. Greens now hold 14 out of 25 places in Kirkburton and are hoping to see similar successes there and across the District in May.

Green candidates are standing in 19 wards:

NEWSOME - Cllr Andrew Cooper (for re-election)

KIRKBURTON - Parish Cllr Robert Barraclough

ALMONDBURY - Parish Cllr Ben Wightman

ASHBROW - Tracey Morris

BATLEY WEST - Parish Cllr Cass Whittingham

BIRSTALL & BIRKENSHAW - Garry Kitchin

COLNE VALLEY - Lesley Hedges

CROSSLAND MOOR & NETHERTON - Chas Ball

DALTON - David Honour

DENBY DALE - Terry Sigsworth

DEWSBURY EAST - Tony Kelsall

DEWSBURY SOUTH - Adrian Cruden

DEWSBURY WEST - Parish Cllr Peter Cunnington

GOLCAR - Daniel Greenwood

GREENHEAD - John Phillips

HOLME VALLEY NORTH - Greens are backing Independent anti-LDF candidate, Charles Greaves 

HOLME VALLEY SOUTH - Parish Cllr Peter Pankhurst

LINDLEY - Richard Plunkett

LIVERSEDGE & GOMERSAL - David Brooks

MIRFIELD - Jimmy McLeod 

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE, HELP THE CAMPAIGN OR JOIN THE PARTY, PLEASE CONTACT Cllr Andrew Cooper on 07721-348619 or Adrian Cruden on 07912-673805 or one of the contacts on the "Contact Us" page.

Greens are in support of the protests against the current Kirklees LDF 

Following Derek Hardcastle's successful re-election for a four year term as a Kirklees Councillor for the Kirkburton Ward last May the Green Party have selected Robert Barraclough as their candidate for the May 2012 elections.

Robert has been a Parish Councillor representing the Thurstonland and Farnley Tyas Ward on Kirkburton Parish Council since 2007 and in 2009 was elected Chairman of the Parish Council. He has lived and worked in the Kirkburton ward all his life and is a tenant farmer at Farnley Tyas. He became involved with the National Farmers Union (NFU) in 1994 becoming Local Branch chairman until 2003 holding office through both the BSE and Foot & Mouth crises. During this period he also represented the NFU on the Kirkburton Parish Council Environment Committee.

Robert said of his nomination as Green Party candidate,

"I will aim to make a real difference as a local Councillor for the Kirkburton Ward. It is an area I know well and have a genuine concern for, which goes beyond party politics. I already engage with local groups in the area and am always keen to see community involvement in the delivery of local projects. During my time as Chairman of the Parish Council I was able to meet and help a number of community organisations across the area so I feel well placed and up for the challenge of representing our area at the Kirklees level."

Councillor Derek Hardcastle said,

"People who know Robert know he can be trusted, is straightforward and hardworking . He is a real asset to our area and I would greatly value his support on Kirklees Council."

Green Party Council Leader Councillor Andrew Cooper,

"I'm really pleased Robert has been selected as our prospective candidate. His knowledge of rural and community issues is very strong and he brings a whole new set of skills to the Green Party Team."

Greens have opposed the plan throughout on the grounds that it would damage other local shops and is environmentall damaging on a number of grounds.

Andrew Cooper pointed out the deep reservations expressed by councillors in the planning meeting who then went on to promptly vote for the application. He told the Planning Inspector about the seven fold increase in traffic at the end of an air quality management area on Leeds Road, the lack of a commitment to social housing, the lack of natural stone in the development despite Councillors wishes. He went on to point out the lack of trees and biodiversity about the site as well as the impact on the Town Centre.

The Inquiry continues.

Green Party Councillors are ready for the Kirklees Council debate on the Local Development Framework proposals, which will take place later this month. The LDF proposes building thousands of new houses across Kirklees, including on protected green belt and other greenfield spaces.

The Green group leader, Cllr Andrew Cooper, has tabled an amendment which calls for effective protection of greenbelt and greenfield land. It accepts that there may be a few occasions when land currently designated as green might move out of that designation, but if so this should be balanced elsewhere by other land being moved into the greenbelt - something the current LDF does not propose. 

Greens are particularly keen to see other routes taken to provide new housing and other facilities in Kirklees - they were the only political party to submit a response to the LDF proposals earlier this year, when they called for refurbishment and change of use of existing buildings and ensuring that empty homes are filled before any new development takes place. Greens have also queried as excessive some of the projected population figures put forward by Kirklees to justify the LDF proposals. The Greens particularly want local people to be properly informed and consulted on any developments in their local areas before any decisions are taken.

It is important to reach some agreement on the LDF as, if no LDF exists, the national government rules under the new National Planning Policy Framework will be applied. This is currently being brought in by the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Coalition Government and will automatically favour any development applications put forward that are deemed to be "sustainable". A Kirklees motion debated by the recent national Green Party conference unanimously opposed these new rules. 

With the Government's Green Deal a year away it is a good time to look back at ‘what works' in delivering large scale energy efficiency programmes and think about how Green Deal might match, or hopefully surpass, the very best practice.

Kirklees Warm Zone is something I know a lot about. I proposed the amendment that made this insulation scheme free to private householders back in February 2007. It has since gone on to win awards, be regularly referred to by ministers and has been held up as a beacon of best practice. A strong team of people worked on it and it is backed by years of experience of project managing energy efficiency programmes by the Council. DECC regularly updates statistics for local authority insulation levels and Kirklees remains at the top of that list with the highest proportion of housing stock insulated out of all local authorities in the country. The properties that didn't receive insulation either already had it installed, were hard to treat with conventional insulation or there were access difficulties.

There's plenty of impressive statistics in the Kirklees Warm Zone final report from the 3 and ½ years that the programme ran for:

• 51,155 properties received insulation (either cavity wall , loft insulation or both measures)

• 16,111 households received Benefits advice

• £1.6 million new benefits entitlement levered in (estimate)

• 111,174 households received free low energy light bulbs

• 602 households received central heating funded by local or regional schemes

• 2033 households were referred to Warm Front for central heating

• 106 jobs created directly for the schemes

• 200-250 jobs created indirectly

• 5.5 points increase in SAP

• 1,375 households taken out of fuel poverty

• £3.9 million fuel expenditure saving per year

• 23,000 tonnes CO2/yr savings average

There's plenty to comment on here. The issue I mention most often in Council meetings is the economic regeneration benefits of Kirklees Warm Zone. For an investment of little over £10 million by Kirklees (and a similar amount by Scottish Power from CERT funding) around £4 million goes back into the local economy each year from savings on household fuel bills. Every time that the cost of fuel goes up, so also does the value of the energy savings. With the recent rises in gas prices the ‘payback' on Kirklees Warm Zone has shrunk considerably.

Kirklees Warm Zone was certainly influential to an extent, though not as much as many of us wished. The Scottish Government's Home Insulation Scheme was introduced as a response to the Scottish Green Party MSP's unsuccessful attempt in 2009 to get the Kirklees Scheme replicated in the whole of Scotland. Energy Efficiency programmes run by the Greater London Assembly and also a number of small scale area based schemes have been strongly influenced by the Kirklees model. Interestingly very few have followed the ‘free insulation for all' approach we pioneered. There are a number of reasons for this lack of replication of good practice not least of which is the severe constraints on public sector funding that has put paid to many worthy projects as Councils concentrate on cost cutting and trying to deliver basic services. Another important factor is the long policy hiatus as we await the Green Deal to begin. There's not a lot of point beginning a 3 or 4 year programme to insulate all the housing in your area if the funding mechanism that supports it, in this case CERT, will be abolished in 2012 and the Energy Company Obligation that replaces it will not significantly help replicate Kirklees style insulation schemes.

One of the key challenges Kirklees Warm Zone offers to Green Deal is to match or exceed the rate at which carbon is saved. The scheme was limited to just over 3 years as part of a systematic, door by door, street by street, area based approach, with the aim of been able to say "job done" for basic insulation measures in the district by 2010. By the end we were able to show how quickly we could save carbon with a concerted, time limited, programme with a compelling offer. If Government policy truly recognises the urgency of addressing climate change then it is the speed of carbon saving that is important. Green Deal needs to rapidly ramp up into being a big saver of carbon, not a half hearted option for householders to consider, for only the committed to embrace and one which many will discount and ignore.

Green Deal is of course a much bigger proposition in terms of measures that will be on offer. It is not just cavity wall and loft insulation but solid wall insulation, internal dry lining, better heating controls , efficient boilers and microgeneration too. So in many ways the potential for Green Deal to exceed any other energy efficiency scheme to date is huge. Green Deal does not however lend itself easily to area based approaches. There could be many providers in an area all trying to sell pretty much the same product. Consumer protection and confidence in the Green Deal offer is going to be crucial if the scheme is going to get off the starting blocks without a hiccup and also for its long term reputation as a trusted energy efficiency provider.

Like many others, I want Green Deal to succeed and the lesson from Kirklees Warm Zone is that the offer to the householder has to be compelling. In this case the loan arrangements have got to be unequivocally a ‘no brainer' for the householder. The ‘golden rule' by which savings in fuel bills meet or exceed loan repayments needs to be guaranteed. The costs of the work carried out under Green Deal needs to match or be cheaper than could be obtained independently from a contractor. The interest rates offered for loans under Green Deal should be attractive and better than could be obtained on the High Street.

The role of the Local Authority is key to the Green Deal's success. Local Authorities are generally trusted bodies, they are permanent institutions, where people can go when they need support with concerns and issues. Local Authorities have access to householders through a range of media including letters, websites and an array of publications. Local Authorities now need to realise their power in assisting the delivery of Green Deal and conveying that effectively to the potential providers. The resultant partnerships should be good for Councils, the providers, the Green Deal itself and most importantly the householders benefiting from it.

After the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Government proposed a bonfire of planning regulations which will leave "a presumption in favour of development", Cllr Andrew Cooper of Newsome proposed a motion at the Green Party national conference in Sheffield pledging the party to oppose the plans. The motion was unanimously supported.

Emergency Motion on National Planning Policy Framework

Conference condemns the Coaltion Government's proposed National Planning Policy Framework. The Green Party believes a function of the planning system is to protect people and the environment not to generate unsustainable economic growth. The abolition of targets for building on brownfield land, the lack of any understanding of sustainability coupled with a presumption in favour of development will make it a developers' charter. Conference calls on elected Greens at all levels of government to campaign vigorously against the NPPF and for the Green Party as a whole to campaign against these proposals to ensure we protect our communities, countryside and quality of life from unrestrained development.

A letter appeared in the local press claiming that windmills function very inefficiently and produce no electricity for most of the time, particularly during the recent wintery weather. It also attacked nuclearpower as wasteful and appeared to want massive invvestment in hydroelectricity alone.

The Response - Cllr Andrew Cooper (Newsome)

The reality is that the UK produces one of the lowest percentages of its energy from renewable sources of any country in Europe. Only Malta and Luxembourg produce a lower proportion of their energy from renewables. So if you don't have a lot of wind turbines, onshore or offshore, in the first place it is hardly surprising that the potential to produce electricity from wind is limited. The truth is that we have one of the highest and most predictable wind resources in Europe, particularly offshore, but have been very tardy in investing in it compared with other countries.

Dr Hill goes on to say that the Green Party should be supporting hydro power schemes. Actually the Green Party does support large scale hydro and I don't know why he believes we don't. Hydro projects can store energy to be released at times of high demand. The truth is that we need a mix of energy sources renewable and non renewable hopefully using the developing carbon capture and storage technologies. Crucially though we need to be wasting less energy and using it more efficiently in the first place.

Food prices are rising across the world. Un-noticed in many northern hemisphere countries, 2010 was globally been the warmest on record and the prolonged drought in Russia especially has led the US Department of Agriculture to predict a 5.5% reduction in wheat production. At 642 million tonnes, it will fall around 25 million tonnes short of consumption, depressing grain reserves globally by just under 10%.

These statistics of course mask the vast inequalities in global food distribution - western consumers will have to pay a little more for their breakfasts, but many in the poorest nations will go hungry, unable to afford the grains produced in the fields around them. Instead the food will be exported to rich nations by the supermarkets and multinationals, many of which have bought up vast tracts of agricultural land in the Third World. Britain imports nearly 40% of its food - much of it from poorer countries where the same people who harvest our pineapples and grains cannot afford the items they farm for us.

The Common Agricultural Policy keeping prices artificially low in Europe and supermarkets maintain a stranglehold on both domestic and international production of food, and until now western consumers have been fairly well-insulated from all this. In the UK, just 4 large supermarkets - Tesco, Asda (Walmart), Morrisons, and Sainsburys supply three quarters of Britain's food. With government rules on monopolies effectively set aside for this sector, they have frequently been accused of abuse of suppliers - the milk industry in particular complains about prices set below the cost of production, while smaller local shops are routinely undercut and put out of business by predatory marketing. Until now, this has conspired to provide consumers with food which, in real terms, is pretty much the cheapest it has ever been.

Now the current projections are that there will be a rise in overall food prices in the UK of 5% or more during the coming months, and while this is not as substantial compared to the real cost of food around the world, it is likely to be a continuing trend. many analysts predict a crisis of rising demand outpacing supply over the next two decades - the World Bank, for example, estimates an 85% rise in demand for meat and dairy products by 2030; while at the same time, the supply of phosphorus, a vital mineral in modern agriculture, is likely to become increasingly scarce. The rising price of oil, again a vital in both the production and transportation of food, will further hit the cost of food to the extent that consumers across the world will be affected, and of course those on lower incomes will suffer by far the worst.

Eating your Greens

The good news is that there is still time to do something about it: there are many alternatives to what we do now. Energy conservation, development of clean, renewable fuel sources such as solar and wave power, support for more local manufacturing and distribution of goods and services, the fostering of local food production especially small scale - even at the individual level of allotments - could start to make the difference.

The Cuban example of learning to feed itself following the collapse of the Soviet bloc is one we should learn from. It has additionally done so using substantially organic production techniques - again a means to avoid the anticipated problem of scarcity of phosphates used in non-organic food production.

Trade needs massive reforms too, as does the international financial system - speculation in vital resources such as food supplies must end. We can no longer allow city traders the right to profit from the misery of the starving - it is a silent, invisible genocide, yet the men responsible are given bonuses rather than jail sentences.

Local Action for Local Food

Kirklees Greens have pushed on the Council and elsewhere to foster more local food production and support for the businesses, co-operatives and peoplewho work in this sector in our area. Greens have supported the establishment of more allotments, supported the new City Farm project and opposed the new Tescos developments, which threaten local producers and distributors.

When Newsome Green Councillor, Julie Stewart-Turner, was Mayor of Kirklees in 2009-2010, she chose supporting local food as the main theme for her Mayoralty. In this role she worked with people from all over the District, and of all political views and none, to encourage local producers and suppliers and educate the public on where our food comes from now and how we can take back control of our food supplies.

Julie established the Kirklees Mayor Award for Local Food Retailer, which was awarded for the first time in 2010 was won by the Green Valley Grocer in Slaithwaite.

Greens on Kirkburton Parish Council have also been busy promoting the two allotments run by the Parish, where the Greens are the largest party. Green Cllr Derek Hardcastle and Parish Cllr Robert Barraclough have been working with councillors from other parties to establish a regular Farmers' Market in Kirkburton, planned for later this year. Parish Cllr Michelle Atkinson has been promoting food education to local schools, including practical projects for pupils to grow some of their own food.

The Greens believe that local food will become more and more important as the cost of transporting food from other parts of the world becomes prohibitive, both financially and environmentally. By taking action now, we can create the skills and infrastructure needed to make the transition to more local economies, with all the benefits they can bring to our communities in Kirklees, easier and successful for all.