Climate Change Group, 2.00pm ,16th April 2025 at Friends Meeting House Priory Road Chichester

Notes of the Meeting held on Wednesday 16th April 2025, Friends Meeting House, 14.00-16.00

Present

Colin McKenna (Chair), Tom Broughton, Ann Butler, John Leslie, Susan LeTooze, Ruth Keeley, Andy Sargent, Jan Davies, Cate Matters, Mike Cockerell

Apologies

Joan Wibley, Mary HR, Debbie Carter, Andy Rackham

Regenerative Agriculture: Report back on meeting with Nathan Dellicott and Discusson – where next
1. https://www.transitionchichester.org/regenerative-agriculture/ will link you to the note on the website of the meeting.
1. Mike/Jan to give consideration to setting up a meeting with the movers and shakers in our area on how to encourage farmers and landowners to move more speedily to regenerative agriculture. Then to consider a larger public event and publicity to press the case for the necessary actions, Any members welcome to join them to lend a hand.
Carbon Footprint
1. Mike presented some perspectives on this issue. Conclusion: carbon tax represents the only realistic way forward to ensure consumer takes account of his/her impact on the climate and the environment. But politically unpopular so maybe change the name of carbon tax to carbon tariff.
Solar Power – Locally
1. Andy Sargent had asked for an item on how to take the heat out of the process of gaining permission for PV arrays. The emotion level seems very disproportionate compared to the need/impact.
1. Andy updated us on the planning context which had now excluded the quality of agricultural land from planning considerations. There were seen to be two key issues to this:
  1. A Local Area Energy Plan would provide a prospective on which type of locations are likely to be suitable from the industry’s perspective and minimising the impact on agriculture and local impact
  1. The issue is clearly a significant financial windfall to agricultural landowners. This should be linked somehow to progress by these landowners to regenerative agriculture.
1. Progress by CDC on a LAEP, however, likely to be kicked into the long grass due to local government reorganisation.
Themes for Future Meetings
1. Dates for next 2 meetings – 21st May and 14th July. There will be no meeting in June due to the Green Energy Fun Day on 14th June.
  1. Themes to include: Regenerative Agriculture and progress by Mike/Jan et al; China and its progress on Green Energy generation; Moringa the miracle plant for tropical areas?

CM 18/4/25