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Cornwall Sustainable Energy Partnership – fighting climate change....Why they are doing things to help the climate.... Cornwall Sustainable Energy Partnership (CSEP) recognises that climate change will have a massive affect on the Duchy. They are working with a wide range of organisations to reduce this impact and put Cornwall on the road to a low carbon, sustainable future. They know that our geographic location means we could experience severe impacts from climate change and that we also face risks in energy security because of our peripheral location. They want to tackle climate change and ensure Cornwall moves towards generating more sustainable energy within the county. This will support the local economy, increase security of supply and tackle climate change. They also want to ensure that everyone in Cornwall has access to the basic energy services they need to have a good quality of life at an affordable price. Their work is ensuring that Cornwall is at the forefront of tackling climate change whilst helping to create an affordable and sustainable future for communities and businesses. What they are doing.... CSEP’s aim is to create a sustainable energy future for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly by actively integrating sustainable energy into public, private and community sectors. Established in 2001 the Partnership consists of 72 organisations including all the local authorities, health trusts, voluntary organisations and local businesses. They have lowered their own carbon emissions and are helping people in Cornwall head towards a low carbon, climate friendly future. CSEP help create, deliver and support projects that enable people to use energy efficiently and make use of renewable energy technologies. In 2004, they produced a sustainable energy
They are working to deliver this action plan and to ensure that sustainable energy and carbon reducing programmes support the local economy. They recognise that Cornwall has the opportunity to do something great and take the lead on climate change and sustainability issues. The Partnership has won various national and regional awards, and is a best practice model within Europe. Why it’s important….. Climate change is a real threat to people living in Cornwall and is likely to touch all aspects of our lives. We are already experiencing more severe weather events with wetter and stormier winters and hotter and drier summers. As we are surrounded by the sea we may also experience increased risks from storm surges and rising sea levels. That’s why it is crucial everyone does their bit in the fight against climate change and CSEP are at the forefront of initiatives to make this happen. Most of the energy we use in Cornwall is imported from other areas coming from power stations that burn fossil fuels or nuclear power plants. When fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) are burned, they release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, the main gas responsible for climate change. Nuclear power stations do not emit carbon dioxide but have other serious environmental impacts. By contrast, energy from renewable energy We also need to use the energy we generate more efficiently. The Energy Saving Trust say that 27% of all the UK’s carbon emissions come from the energy we use in our homes, but simple steps can save around 2 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. CSEP is helping to improve the insulation of people’s homes in Cornwall to ensure we use energy as efficiently as possible. This is particularly important in Cornwall because many of us live in older, solid wall homes that do not have access to cheap energy supplies like gas. This means many of us struggle to heat our homes affordably or to a suitable level of comfort. It is estimated that nearly a quarter of people in Cornwall struggle to heat their homes affordably. CSEP support a wide range of programmes to try an overcome this issue, helping tackle climate change by reducing the amount of energy we need whilst making our homes easier and cheaper to heat. Every tonne of carbon dioxide we emit commits us to more warming. However, we can do something about it – every tonne of emissions avoided reduces the threat of climate change. By using energy efficiently and by generating more from renewable resource we can begin to address this problem now. CSEP is working with organisations across Cornwall to make this happen whilst helping to keep more money within the local economy. Since the inception of the Partnership, CSEP has brought in approximately £6.5 million to Cornwall for the delivery of sustainable energy projects. Between 2003 and 2006 their work and partner projects delivered free energy efficiency measures to 13,116 homes, saving 2,519 tonnes of carbon per year. It is also helping to increase the uptake of mirco-generation measures in Cornwall, supporting over 200 installations in 2006, generating over 990KW of energy.Further information.... To find out more about climate change, visit our Understanding Climate Change pages. Cornwall Sustainable Energy Partnership Community Energy Plus Energy Efficiency Renewable Energy Photos courtesy of CSEP
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OptionsThis StoryListen again to this story.... Related Stories17.Climate change will affect us all Related LinksCSEP Community Energy Plus Cornwall EEAC EST Renewable Energy
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strategy for Cornwall - Action Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow. This sets out how Cornwall can move towards a sustainable energy, low carbon future. It shows how the integration of actions to minimise energy demand, to use energy efficiently and to use renewable energy sources can deliver more sustainable communities in Cornwall. Specifically the strategy aims to:
sources use the natural energy flows of the earth, such as solar, wind, wave, etc. These natural energy flows can be used to create heat and electricity without adding to the risk of climate change. Cornwall is ideally placed to make use of renewable energy and CSEP are working to help support the increase of renewable energy generation in Cornwall, both at a large scale and a small scale on individuals’ homes. It is estimated that 98% of the money we spend on energy in Cornwall, leaves the county. By generating more within the county we can ensure more of this money stays within the local economy, whilst tackling climate change. 