news story

Fair Shares, Fair Choice goes LIVE!

Fair Shares, Fair Choice launched on 22nd March at Coombeshead College in Newton Abbot, Devon

School children helped the charity, Sustainability South West, to launch Fair Shares, Fair Choice, on Thursday 22nd March. The launch included the production of the first ever personal carbon budget cards which will support the project to help individuals, businesses, community groups, public agencies and other organisations to take positive action on climate change. (see personal carbon card!)

“Experts advise that what we do during the next 10 years will matter most in the battle to halt runaway Climate Change,” explains the charity’s Director, Leslie Watson, “So while politicians squabble about strategies, we have no time to waste - it’s time for action!”

Young people in the region, who will be most affected by the impacts of climate change, clearly agree, judging by a vote of pupils from Coombeshead College in Devon that placed Climate Change and Sustainability as their top concerns.  Principal, Richard Haigh, explains “The students are keen to take immediate action on climate change. At the launch they showed their support of the Fair Shares, Fair Choice, project by calculating their personal carbon-footprints, eating their ‘fair share’ of a ‘low-carbon cake’ and talking about how young people are rising to the climate change challenge.”

The carbon cards are based on a new 10 year carbon budget* which show we need to reduce our CO2 emissions by roughly 10% this year and by around 30% (on the current average) by 2017. Sustainability South West’s scheme claims to improve on the Government’s recent Climate Change Bill in two important ways – it recognises the urgency for short-term action with annual targets to achieve climate safety and the need for a fair share approach in which everyone has an equal share of carbon to use or trade should systems become available. Leslie Watson explains, "The Fair Shares, Fair Choice carbon budget won’t short change the less well-off, or the planet. The carbon budget is based on the principles of an internationally recognised model 'Contraction & Convergence' (see the science) which predicts how the atmosphere will behave over time. It calculates carbon budgets which are applied in an equitable way, recognising the differences between developed and developing economies.”

SSW’s Chair, Julian Dennis, Director of Compliance and Sustainability at Wessex Water says, “Fair Shares, Fair Choice is not about telling people how to live their lives but it will help us to understand that the choices we make about how we heat our homes, get around or shop all have a different ‘carbon price’ which we will all pay in the long run.  There are many advantages to be gained from a low carbon lifestyle. We can improve our health by walking and cycling more and enjoy more locally sourced food and drink which also supports our local economies. We can reduce the stress of driving and flying by using video conferencing for more of our meetings or by working one day a week from home. Businesses will save on energy bills and gain from new environmental technologies.”

Sustainability South West believes that this region is very well placed to lead the way in the low carbon agenda and that our economy, personal well being and environment would all benefit. 

*Report available on request