A transport workshop was a highlight of the day at the Dorset COP (conference of the parties), held at Bournemouth University last week. An expert panel called for more bus services, an electric bus fleet and an improved rail network.
The 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Conference of the Parties (COP), is being held from 11 to 22 November in Azerbaizan. Leaders from all around the world will be meeting to discuss and negotiate on how we can globally tackle climate change.
Last week here in Dorset, the second annual local COP was held in Bournemouth to discuss and talk about things we can do on climate change locally here in Dorset. Hundreds gathered for the event attended by MPs, councillors, businesses, community groups, charities, students and residents from across the county.
Among the highlights of the day was the transport workshop, led by our own Dorchester Transport Action Group Chair, Stewart Palmer. The workshop included a brilliant keynote speech by Colin Divall (Western Area Transport Action Group), who used the history of Dorset’s railways to illustrate lessons that needed to be learned and how they could be applied in the Dorset Councils’ upcoming Local Transport Plans.
The workshop welcomed an expert panel of guest speakers that included Roger Geffen director of Low Carbon Future, Rufus Boyd lead director Great British Railways Transition Team, Joe Doak vice chair of Dorchester Civic Society, and Andy Hadley Transport portfolio holder from Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole council.
The panellists called for more bus services, an electric bus fleet and improved rail network. They also reiterated the argument for a light rail to help ease congestion, improve air quality and reduce Dorset’s reliance on fossil-fuelled transport.
As regards the whole event, Mark Chivers, co-founder of Zero Carbon Dorset, said “Earlier this week we saw in Spain why preventing further climate change is such an urgent issue”.
He went on to say that “We can’t stand idly by while climate change injustice is rampant. We need our politicians to act now. Today, we came, we saw, we imagined how things could be in the future”.
The enthusiasm and commitment shown by everyone at the event to find ways to act at the local level demonstrated how the power of community can also make real changes from the ground up. Mark concluded, “The power of community is so strong, and it’s up to all of us to make sure we mobilise and protect the environment for ourselves and the next generation.”
Stewart Palmer said “It’s great that Dorchester Transport Action Group are trying to do their bit by working with our community to improve local services”.
The whole event was filmed and will be available as a series of video clips on the Dorset COP YouTube channel within a few weeks. For more information see: www.dorsetcop.info
Sorry to miss this.