It was encouraging to see the North Hinksey Parish Council on Thursday 21st supporting a resolution on the seriousness of climate change. Our children are already way ahead of us on this issue. Its simple to pass resolutions, harder to translate good intentions into concrete action. There are many small things we can all do, but it takes thousands of us to make a real difference.
There are also big things we can and should change. The Oxford Flood Alliance Scheme is estimated in the planning application to contribute an extra 300,000 tonnes of CO2 to the atmosphere. I have been told that this calculation is wrongly based on the volume of (compacted) earth to be excavated, rather than the volume of loose earth to be moved which is apparently twice as much.
This would make the footprint 600,000 tonnes of CO2. I calculate the scheme will generate over twenty times the annual CO2 output of Low Carbon West Oxford. This is ironic, considering CO2 is the ultimate cause of the flooding problem, and a shame when the EA’s own modelling shows the flood relief channel provided no additional flood protection homes in West Oxford.
The underground pipeline proposal will carry more floodwater than the channel. Because only a narrow trench needs to be dug, and the excavated earth is put back, the carbon footprint will be tiny in comparison.
Dr Rod Chalk