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Conference urged to look towards business in a world without oil
BRITAIN'S manufacturing and transport sectors will become obsolete unless we find an alternative to oil, a major conference was told in Yorkshire.
Some of Yorkshire's leading designers and environmentalists attended Sheffield in a post-oil world which analysed how Britain might look in 2059.
The 120 participants were asked to consider how they would survive without oil and plastic.
The audience was told to prepare for a world in which face-to-face business meetings were rare, and video conferencing had become the norm because long distance travel was causing too much environmental damage.
They were also told to prepare for a world without plastics and businesses had to ensure their buildings complied with stringent energy-efficiency legislation.
Andy Sheppard, of global consultants Arup, said: "Many of the issues surrounding climate change are those that engineers are facing up to now.
"If we are to hit the Government's target of an 80 per cent reduction in emissions by 2050 businesses will have to make genuinely sweeping changes starting now.
"The changes need to come at all levels as different aspects of climate change need different solutions. For example, the emissions due to electricity production can be reduced through national programmes, but there is also a vital need to address the production of low carbon electricity at a local level.
"If we look at transport, there is little chance of there being an 80 per cent increase in efficiency in the next 40 years.
"Electric and hydrogen-powered cars may be on the way but they need to be provided with energy from somewhere. The only solution is for people to change their behaviour. If they don't want to do this, they need to be very strongly encouraged."
Mr Sheppard said businesses had to start preparing for a world in which the climate was different. He added: "For too long, the issue of how we are going to adapt to climate change has been ignored. There is a careful balance to be struck between reducing emissions and planning for the future but these can often be common goals."
The event, held at Sheffield University Humanities Research Institute, was the finale of Sheffield Council's Urban Design Week.
Jon Bond, of Bond Bryan Architects, said climate change was probably the biggest issue facing architects, designers, engineers, politicians and business people in all sectors.
Andy Nolan, Sheffield City Council's Director of Sustainable Development, said: "Councils have to take both a short and long term view and ensure that decisions taken now reflect the longer term challenges of climate change and peak oil.
"By doing the right thing now we can help businesses and communities to thrive in the future. Enabling businesses to reduce emissions and work in a smarter way is an important part of that agenda."
Sustainability research consultant Ian Ward urged businesses to be more committed to green buildings: "We have shown that it is possible to build them in the current climate. However from the monitoring of their performance there can be vast differences in the energy used and also a lack of understanding of how they should be used.
"Global warming will, for example, increase our use of air conditioning in offices; counterbalancing the benefits of milder winters."
Mr Bond added: "Businesses and local authorities must consider the effects of climate change for the life of a development, which could be 50 years for a building or longer for heavy infrastructure. Things can change a lot in that time.
"Tonight was a useful glimpse at the potential problems that face us but the main message is that though we're looking 50 years hence, we have to act today.
"This is not someone else's problem; it's the problem of every business in the region and across the world."
Urban design and the environment
Sheffield Urban Design Week 2009 was held to highlight the need for environmentally friendly buildings.
It featured presentations, discussions and speeches from leading figures in the architectural and urban design field.
The week's events were jointly organised by Sheffield City Council, Sheffield Hallam University, University of Sheffield, Sheffield Civic Trust and Bond Bryan Architects.
The final event, Sheffield in a post oil world, analysed how Sheffield could adapt to the challenge of climate change and the decline of fossil fuels. Speakers included Andy Nolan, Sheffield City council's lead officer on carbon reduction and climate change, and Ian Ward, an independent energy consultant and a director of SABRE, a venture including the University of Sheffield which promotes research into efficient energy use.
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Wednesday 23 May 2012
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