| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:air quality and Putney Green Primary school proposal | |
| Posted by: | Roland Gilmore | |
| Date/Time: | 31/03/12 16:09:00 |
| With the mayoral election fast approaching, a vision of the future of living in the London environment should be focussed upon but cycically, the discussions will probably revert to type with diversion to criticism about promises, broken promises and personality highlighted by mainstream media. It is very disappointing that with all the teaching about our environment these days including being core curriculum in geography, that Putney schools appear to be so apathetic. Fixed in their locations, I guess they are already aware of their impotence in bringing meaningful change about. It's probably a reflection common to most people working in public services who have been taught to consider the public as disassociated "clients" rather than as people resulting in children being considered not as individuals but a client group. As for WBC, I think many are coming to realise that their environmental policies are non-existent except for energy/money saving measures within their own buildings and functions. Their recently adopted developer role and developer friendly planning policy seems to be overarching everything else. They may listen but have not, cannot or are not willing to act positively enough to make a real difference. The policy over many years seems to be that the Borough of Wandsworth become almost exclusively a forever Conservative Inner London drive-through suburb to the cost of any other consideration. You are spot on about DEFRA Jonathan. They most definitely have not and are not acting in the public interest on this and other issues. For all their faults, the EU has been leading the way on the environment while the idle meanies of DEFRA delay and prevaricate. The EU fine for 30 years delay in instigating the Urban Waste Water Directive is estimated to cost London £1.6Bn in fines over the next 11 years at current prices. The way things are going with carbon emissions, we face further huge fines for non-implementation and missed targets. If anyone were to demonstrate a link between their illness or a loved one’s death due to failure to address our air quality, no doubt we will need public finance to cover the costs. DEFRA needs to address their structural failure to recognise their responsibility for the E in their acronym sooner rather than later. Thankful though we should be for priority being given to accelerated introduction of more eco-friendly busses through Putney, I can’t help but think that the politicos have been caught with their pants down and have realised their nakedness later than they should have. |