By Paul Harris

DAVID Attenborough’s “Blue Planet” was not a surprise for me.

In a lifetime of travel I have been appalled and depressed at the destruction of our planet by human greed and thoughtlessness. In 2007 I sailed a small boat near Hong Kong for a whole day through a cloud of stinking air pollution as thick as fog, while the water around me was red, dead, and also stank from the deoxygenation of a “red tide”. We are facing a biodiversity and climate change crisis on a colossal scale.

There is much that we can do in Oxfordshire to reverse the loss of biodiversity through re-greening. A small start has been made in some areas by leaving grass verges unmown, producing meadow-like profusion of wildflowers. Much more is possible, and I would like to see local councils reviewing all policies to ensure that re-greening and re-wilding are given priority wherever practicable.

Climate change is more difficult, but again there is much that can be done. Ideally I would like to focus on measures that both reduce carbon emissions and improve the quality of our life in other ways at the same time. The following seem to me 10 feasible and practical measures to work together towards.

Oxford Mail:

The author, Paul Harris

1. Cancel the planned Oxford to Cambridge Expressway, which would increase carbon emissions, and focus instead on encouraging alternatives to car travel which will reduce them.

2. Rail is the most energy efficient form of mass transport. Commitments have been given to re-open the Oxford to Cambridge rail line but there does not seem to be any work yet on the ground. Real pressure is needed to make this happen now. The line should be opened to Milton Keynes as fast as possible without waiting to resolve problems on the Bedford to Cambridge section.

3. Rail is also more energy efficient and more pleasant than large numbers of cars commuting nose to tail along the A40. Far better to bring back the line from Oxford to Witney. This will be expensive, but it is a worthwhile investment in a much greener alternative to car commuting.

ALSO READ: Zero Emission Zone proposals - your questions answered

4. Rail also has a key role in reducing emissions within Oxford, by re-opening the line from Oxford to Cowley to passengers. This is part of Oxford City Council’s emission reduction plan but seems to have fallen foul of the institutional inertia of Network Rail and a very poor Secretary of State for Transport.

5. For shorter distances, cycling is a healthier, more pleasant, and an often faster means of transport than the car, but people are put off by the danger of accidents. Fully separated cycle lanes are essential to get more people on to bikes. We should build the Eynsham to Botley cycle-track as a priority, and follow it with other similar tracks paralleling key routes.

6. Electric assisted bicycles are revolutionising cycling. Living on a hill no longer requires one to be super-fit to cycle to and from work. Electric assisted bike hire should be made available so that cycling up hills regularly becomes an easy option for many more people. A scheme for subsidised purchase should also be introduced.

ALSO READ: Oxford school strikes - fourth walkout in pictures

7. Update planning and building policies in the light of Oxford City Council’s Declaration of a Climate Change Emergency.

Planning policies already provide for sustainable energy issues to be considered. They should now be reviewed to ensure that stricter conditions are imposed to minimize the carbon footprint of new developments. The new policy should be versatile but strict. In some cases it may mean solar panels on the roof. In others, where solar panels would have limited effect, it should be other design features such as heating by means of heat pumps, or higher insulation requirements. When the buildings are completed these requirements should mean lower utility bills for the occupants as well as less carbon used. Councils should also use their new powers to amend the Building Regulations for the same purpose. And in all except the smallest developments there should be a requirement for a sustainable transport form of access.

ALSO READ: Oxford ZEZ: New plans better 'because we listened' - Tom Hayes

8. Support organisations like Repair Café, which help people repair broken things rather than generate the additional carbon emissions required to manufacture new things.

9. Reduce council tax on carbon neutral buildings. Fully carbon neutral buildings are now possible. Providing a financial incentive should ensure that some are built.

10. Conduct a systematic review of barriers to reducing carbon emissions. These should include both regulations or charges which are outdated or have unintended effects, and also the level of charges for public transport and for park and ride car parks.

ALSO READ: Oxford heatwave: 4th hottest June day ever recorded - 33C

This list is not exhaustive. But overcoming resistance and inertia to achieve these 10 should be a priority.

Many measures similar to these proposals are already in effect in other UK cities or in countries which are ahead of the UK in tackling carbon emissions, such as Norway and Sweden. If we implement these we improve our own quality of life and set an example to be copied in the traffic-choked cities of the rest of the world.

Paul Harris is the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on Green Issues, Oxford City Council