Bournemouth Council Bias: Complaint sent to Bournemouth Borough Council about BIC meeting 10th May 2014

1. No climate scientist nor climate reality speaker was invited.   This would have spelt out the frightening science to put the Navitus project in context.
2. No representative  from Bournemouth Council explained or referred to the Go Green Bournemouth document which highlights the need for beefy climatic action:  “improving our environment”  is a top priority for Bournemouth  Borough Council. ” The actions…require coordinated and concerted action by the whole community….there is no Plan B,”   page 3.   The whole spirit of  the document is  undermined by its non-mention at the meeting.   This is  particularly disappointing as  Bournemouth, “is the first local authority in the UK to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability and ecological integrity by endorsing the Earth Charter   (2008)….The Council uses the Earth Charter to help make better, more sustainable decisions for now & in the long term.”
3. Page 25 of Go Green Bournemouth supports the proposed windfarm so this view should have been expressed.
4. We were cheated of 12 minutes.   One of us, Susan Chapman, had to represent both the environmental AND the resident’s case for Navitus in 12 minutes.  Andrew Langley did  the contra environmental view  for which he had 12 minutes but used over 14.  He is not a resident so pro-Navitus campaign groups should also have been invited.  Roy Pointer had the contra resident view for which he too took over 14 minutes.
5. No young person was invited to speak. This could have been a sixth-former (or someone younger),  a working person, a school leaver or a student.
6. There was apparently no attempt to actively engage our young people, many of whom do not have the luxury of free time (if working or studying  on a Saturday) or an awareness of the event as another of us,  Zoe Chapman,  found out in conversations with friends.  There should have been  invitations to the event via the schools and further education establishments etc. 12 year old Michael Bryan was praised by the council for taking part in the democratic process 29.7.14.  Cllr Blair Crawford;”Bournemouth Council is fully committed to listening to the voices of young people and encouraging them and getting them involved in making decisions at all levels.”  Reported; Echo 2.8.14, Advertiser 7.8.14.
7. Our MPs are there to represent all their constituents, not just a small minority. Climate leadership should be coming from them as well as from our councillors.   We invite resignations from those who will not be briefed and act on  the science.  There was no mention of Annette Brooke’s support for decarbonisation in the Energy Bill of June 2013.   No mention of Zero-Carbon Dorset.  Why was a councillor allowed to hijack a university meeting about the wind-farm and frighten the students?  Not with accurate climatic information but with dodgy, unsubstantiated claims of tourism damage. This is inconsistent with  Go Green Bournemouth: “Assist Bournemouth University in building an understanding of the impact of global issues…”
8. There should have been a  representative of a  positive case for tourism/economy. No mention of  the damage to the world’s economy as related by the Stern Review (climate change as a market failure) . Nor the encouraging noises made by those who hope to do well from local jobs.  What about  the tourism benefits enjoyed by Llandudno or Ramsgate?   Or how the turbines’   reef effect could help wildlife (to counterbalance Mark Smith)?  Also avoidance of carbon damage should have been mentioned (eg beach/beach huts, flooding).
9. Morality/deaths/climate justice/ educating for survival/SUSTAIN Bournemouth/ the historical perspective of the UK’s role in the Industrial Revolution/ Obama now talking with China & India about carbon reduction/  Operation Noah ( the Church’s call for climate action)   & locally, IDEA, Interfaith Dorset Education and Action,  – all  conspicuously absent. 

Please let us know how you plan to make up for this skewed meeting. There is a World Leaders’ Climate Summit in New York in September  and  international action to match this planned for the weekend of 20/21st September. Perhaps you could host your own Climate Literacy Action Programme at the BIC around this time, following up the good work you are doing online.

   East Dorset Friends of the Earth