The Idea of Eco Town by Gordon Brown - Essay Example

Introduction The country of Great Britain needs to come up with rapid schemes that will reduce too much consumption of fuel. There are a number of reasons why the government needs to take this issue seriously. The first reason is that the country is spending too much on fossil fuel. This part of revenue could be directed to other schemes if suitable plans have been put in place. There are many challenges facing the fuel industry in the United Kingdom. First, Russia (the main supplier of fuel in the region) has increased its prices and is constantly subjecting Britain to these increases. Besides, there are other intercontinental factors that affect availability of fossil fuel in the country. The government needs to come up with a scheme that will reduce this over consumption of fossil fuel. Perhaps the most important reason why the government needs to address use of fossil fuels is due to the high carbon emissions that come from these fuels. Yet the British government is a signatory of the Kyoto Carbon Cap. The Kyoto Global Carbon Cap became effective in the year 2005. The main proposal from this summit was a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. This was to be done through the carbon cap scheme. Here countries that are signatories of the Protocol are supposed to set a standard for maximum allowable carbon emissions. This implies that industries or other polluting parties are not allowed to exceed this limit. Monitoring of the emissions is done by a government agency like the European Union. These agencies are supposed to issue out permits to firms to inform them of how much carbon they are allowed to emit. Industries that exceed their carbon emissions ought to be given severe penalties for passing their limit. (Fogel, 2005) Other fuel schemes have been put in place by past governments but none of them have addressed the need for micro generation of fuel. It is therefore imperative for the country to start a project that increases fuel security in the country. One such project is building eco towns. This idea was premiered by Prime Minister Gordon Brown. It helps the country comply with international standards of carbon emissions, reduces fossil fuel dependency and gives a bonus of giving affordable housing to members of society. What an Eco Town is An eco town is a town that has embraced resource circulation among members of its society. The main target of such a project is emission of no waste at all. It is characterised by integration of a large number of technologies that conserve energy. It also has another element to it: It provides housing to people at affordable rates. This idea was generated by Prime Minister Gordon Brown who has the intention of building five eco towns in the country. He has called these towns ‘Brown towns’. These towns will promote healthy, energy efficient and sustainable housing. (Green building press, 2007) There are a number of applications that have been received by concerned ministries. Up to this time, the number has reached 50. However, it is almost impossible to know the exact names of these applicants because the Department under whose portfolio the project lies is obliged to protect the interests of the companies that have applied. This is because if these companies get rejected and their names had already been disclosed publicly, then their name will be tarnished. Besides, the Department also needs to weigh each application to find out which group is the most appropriate to undertake the Scheme. Names of the exact locations where the Eco Town will be located are also difficult to identify. But according to a proposal made, the names of the locations for the Eco Towns will be announced one year and two months from now. Currently, there are no eco towns that can be found in the country. But there are some schemes that have already reached advanced stages of planning. Examples of such towns in the country include Cranbrook and Northstowe. Eco towns will be located in areas that have been approved by local government bodies. This means that eco towns must comply with spatial requirements for regions within the country. These eco towns must be in line with frameworks that guide development in local regions. What an Eco Towns will look like Eco towns will have wind turbines installed in a large portion of public spaces. These wind turbines will also be found on residential houses. It will also have solar panels found on the roofs of most households. Besides this, there won’t be a lot of crowding that will occur in these towns because there will be about fifty homes for every hectare. The towns will also have very few cars on its roads. This is because systems will be put in place that encourages the use of public transport. The towns will have a high number of pedestrians or cyclers. This will because most of them will be able to access public facilities at their convenience. (The BBC, 2007) An Eco Town will be characterised by having a large representation of communities from all aspects of the country i.e. it will be mixed. In addition, these towns will contain a large number of houses under each scheme. The plan is that by the year 2016, each eco town will have anywhere between the numbers of five and twenty thousand houses. These towns will be found in almost all parts of the country. The reason being that there is a high demand for affordable houses all over the country and it would therefore be appropriate if these towns were spread throughout the entire country. The plan is that almost all regions in the country will have an eco town in Britain. Kind of life led in Eco Towns There will be a high level of output from members of the community. These people are expected to work in collaboration with other towns and cities that will serve as a complement to them. Members of the Eco town communities are expected to use public transport that is compliant with standards on low carbon emissions. The people who live in these towns are expected to put these carbon tolerance schemes in all aspects of their lives. Some of the areas that will receive concentration include; Community facilities Schools Offices Shops Homes All the towns should comply with environmental standards. They will be expected to focus on one or more areas of these standards. (Green building press, 2007) There will be closeness in these homes because they will have to share a huge portion of the public facilities. This means that there will be a lot of activities that these people will have in common and there will be a strong sense of value and communality. Because the development of the town will not be done independently; it will involve consultation from members of the community, then they will become quite cohesive. These people will trust each other regardless of their age, race or background. There will be a number of changes that will be seen in how people live in these eco towns; The first is the way people will be heating their water. Previously people have been using gas cookers to perform this task yet more environmentally friendly alternatives can be adopted. During the summer, people in eco towns will be expected to use solar heaters or solar heat collectors. This will minimise on the amount of gas consumed and will also reduce carbon emissions. (Green building press, 2007) Solar heaters are quite appropriate but they still leave a large portion of the year unaccounted for. This means that another alternative should be considered. This will be the use of wood pellets. Members of eco towns will be provided with about two hundred and fifty kilos of the fuel for use during other seasons that are not included in summer. This amount will cover the whole year. Wind energy is also a crucial aspect of the eco town’s project. There will be a high number of wind generating strategies. This will also be done in collaboration with other constructions that allow energy conservation. There will be heat insulating materials that will be used for the storage of water. This means that there will be adequate use of all the energy that will have been collected. People living in these towns will also be given the ability to disconnect from gas supply. It is a known fact that prices of gas have not reduced dramatically in the British fuel industry, instead they keep increasing. There will also decreased dependence on electricity. This will be due to the fact that most people will have the ability to access solar energy through panels that will be installed on their roof tops. It is expected that dependency on electricity will be reduced by close to eighty percent. People will be able to capture rain water through establishment of water catchment zones in houses. This will help in saving up the amount of water utilised in such areas. These towns will also be characterised by a good drainage system. This means that people will live in healthy way in such areas. How their homes and gardens will be decorated Most of these homes will be decorated by use of many plants. This is the line with the main agenda behind the scheme; to adopt environmentally friendly actions. The homes have been called green homes so they will most likely have a large number of plants to boost the amount of healthy gases in the atmosphere. Feasibility of the towns (would I live in these towns) The government and other stakeholders have set aside about one point seven billion pounds to be used for growth in infrastructural facilities. Because eco towns are considered as such facilities, they will be able to benefit form this fund allocation. There are also other schemes like fund for Community Infrastructure; the scheme has allocated about three hundred million pounds which will help the eco town project. With all this financial backing, eco towns will be able to implement their plans and can thus be considered favourable. (Kitakyushu eco town office, 2007) Because it is a common phenomenon to find that most carbon emissions in towns come from cars, part of the biggest plan for eco towns is reduction in use of cars. This will be achieved by bringing most services close to the people. This will imply that there will be no need for people to move around for long distances and emitting more carbon. Another plan will also include the increase of public transport vehicles. Transport charges for passengers using this mode of transport will also be reduced. This means that more people will be discouraged from using personal vehicles. A reduction in number of vehicle on the roads will mean that most people will not emit too mush carbon and thus leading to environmental sustainability in the towns. In line with the above mentioned concept of reducing vehicles, it also possible to have low carbon emissions by increasing the number of people who cycle when travelling. People are also expected to walk on foot because services will be near them and there will be no need to use vehicles in the towns. The towns are quite feasible because they will be built after intense consultation from various interested groups. These groups will all contribute their ideas and thus bring about a rich blend. Some of the groups that will contribute their ideas in the building of these eco towns will include Prince’s foundation, RIBA and CABE. They will give their opinions concerning the type of architecture to be used in these towns and other important details. This is not something that will be left in the hands of one person but will be a combination of many inspirations. Eco towns may be a new concept in the United Kingdom but the idea has been tried and tested in other parts of the world. Such countries include; Germany and Sweden. The towns that have incorporated environmental sustainability and have earned recognition from these countries are Vauban and Hammarby Sjostad. (The Guardian, 2007) There are also a number of experts that have been assigned the duty of ensuring that all members of eco towns do not experience problems while implementing ideals of the scheme. Some of the groups that will focus on this agenda include the (TCPA) Town Country and Planning Association. In line with these requirements, the government will adopt a large portion of strategies that will reduce carbon emissions in these towns. Another step that the British government will take in these eco towns will be to by passing laws that discourage high carbon emissions. In March 2007, the British government proposed the Climate Change Bill designed to reduce carbon emissions by sixty percent in after a period of forty years. (British embassy, 2007) Britain aims at placing itself at the forefront of pollution prevention in the world although the country’s pollution is quite low compared to other developed countries-It stands at only two percent. Some of the implications of such a bill could affect citizens in eco towns in a number of ways. Industries may be required to implement energy saving techniques, households may have to switch to energy saving bulbs and individuals may face stiff penalties for exceeding their targets. This could also affect fuel use in cars and in the aviation industry. (Fogel, 2005) Conclusion The eco town idea is quite feasible given the benefits that will spring forth form it. If the idea is successfully implemented, there country will have embraced a new culture of using solar energies, no carbon in the atmosphere, low waste or no waste produced by these towns and it will also put Britain in the international map as one of the leaders of environmental sustainability. The project is quite feasible because the government can be able to use a minimum portion of its budget to achieve this. This idea had not been implemented because it is too expensive for single individuals to start their own environmental schemes. Due to economies of scale, it would be appropriate to adopt these kinds of strategies if all the number of households being considered are many. The idea is quite feasible because if the budget was split over a large number of years then it will be possible to complete the five eco towns in a short period of time. About fifteen thousand pounds is necessary for such a scheme every year. With this steadfast dedication, the country can be able to make about three quarters of all the houses environmentally friendly after fifty years from now. These technologies can also be applied to schools public buildings and can also be applied to hospitals too. Eco towns represent the face of the future. The project premiered By Brown can change the lives of people in the UK financially, socially and economically for the better (Local Government, 2007) Reference British Embassy (2007): Government backs new campaigns to slash Co2 emissions; a journal by the British embassy Cowell, A. (2007): Britain drafts laws to slash carbon emissions; The New York Times (14th March 2007) Fogel, C. (2005): Biotic Carbon Sequestration and the Kyoto Protocol; Springer Publishers Green building press (2007): Brown revamps eco town proposals, retrieved from http://www.buildingforafuture.co.uk/ accessed on 26th December Kitakyushu eco town office (2007); what’s Eco town project; retrieved from http://www.kitaq-ecotown.com/index.html accessed on 26th December Local Government (2007); Housing, retrieved from http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/ accessed on 26th December The Guardian (2007); Barrat contracted to build UK’s first eco-village, retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/ accessed on 26th December The BBC (2007): Eco towns-ready to take off? Retrieved from http://www.newsvote.bbc.co.uk/ accessed on 26th December Read More

 

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