• Take the UK government to court for doing too little to prevent climate change
    Currently we are doing far too little to help reduce the effects of climate change and we can't wait until a change of government to make the necessary changes. Since the latest election we have gone backwards and this is outrageously irresponsible of a government that is there to protect it's people.
    84 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Holly Whitelaw
  • Change Highways laws to permit personal mobility devices
    There have been multiple inventions across the world in the last few years that would alleviate congestion and aid the restricted movement public in this country, if the law were modified. Currently these PMD's do not fit into our highways act simply because they aren't disabled carriages, are motorised and so cannot be driven on the pavements and are too slow for the road networks. I propose that room should be made in the highways act and by extension in the Cyclist part of the Highway code for the use of properly registered and maintained "safe" Personal Mobility Devices. These devices are growing in popularity across the world (I believe at the last count the Segway for example was a legal form of transportation in 30 different countries now) and simply sticking our head in the sand and quoting legislation based on an act that was made in 1835 is putting us at risk of missing the boat on properly regulating the safe and controlled use of these devices. If we were to open the doors on this issue, we could provide laws and rules to do things like prohibit the use of these PMDs inside so that people do not injure themselves riding around the office as I have seen in one Youtube video, but also we can regulate the types of PMD allowed on Cycle lanes for example. Most of these PMDs are limited to 10mph the equivalent of a fast run, so could legitimately use cycle lanes and pavements where it is safe to do so, if the law were changed to allow these vehicles to be treated similarly to bicycles. Furthermore, if these PMDs were treated like a stage between a bicycle and motorbike, they could be taxed and regulated like a discount motorbike. Allowing for further regulation and control, perhaps even licensing to promote safe usage of them too (which is more than is required for Disability "buggies"). Currently Disability "buggies" have 2 classes -4mph they are allowed unrestricted access to public areas, +4mph these vehicles have to have a tax registration and have road legal lighting on them. There is a section in the Highway code for the correct use of these devices, most of them are electric and most of them are often used in public areas with little or no danger to the public. All I am asking, is for a similar allowance for Safe Personal Mobility Devices to be given a fair chance to be used by a public who are crying out for an alternative to sitting in traffic jams all day, whether using public transport or not, or having to get all hot and sweaty cycling to work through fume and traffic clogged streets. Providing a section in the Highways act to classify PMDs would allow for this development. To further my argument, most of these PMDs are also electric and so would be far less polluting than even the most eco-friendly hybrid bus that Boris can sponsor. You ride your electric PMD in to the office in the morning, charge it back up using the company solar panels, then ride it home and plug it back into your solar panels at home, much better than riding a hybrid bus that uses a diesel generator to charge its batteries when it's outside of the congestion zones.
    2 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Simon Macmanus
  • Encourage farmers to plant trees in river uplands to prevent flooding
    UK farmers are subsidised millions of pounds by the British taxpayer. Despite this there is no effective regulation or carrot-and-stick approach to prevent soil erosion, plant trees and manage rivers to properly manage river uplands and prevent downstream flooding. Promoting natural flood defences and flood plains is more cost-effective. The Govt needs to stop focusing only on last resort man-made flood defences and tackle the root causes of devastating flooding, addressing its own contradictory policies.
    17 of 100 Signatures
    Created by N Cooper
  • Bio gas not fracking gas
    Although the scientific community have understood the dangers we face in climate change this is only just beginning to filter into the general public. MPs seem to be very loath to understand the issues. People have been saying fracking is safe rather than understanding that it is another fossil fuel and will contribute to global warming. Its short term safety is irrelevant. Why not spend our time and energy cleverly to produce the gas for our carbon neutral future. Invest in the small because we understand the big picture. Who are the lobbyists that persuade our MPs to allow our landscape to be ransacked for something that will only encourage more extreme climate events? Biomass gas could be an income stream for our farmers and Councils while giving us a carbon neutral gas. Invest now in our long term future - not in a fossil fuel.
    2 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Marianne Martin
  • Dredging of all rivers and waterways to prevent flooding
    It's absolutly vital that all waterways are drained correctly and if the outfall being ditches or rivers are not clear and dredged fields flood and overwhelm the rivers causing them to breach their banks and flood defenses causing havoc and damage to property's, animal livelihood in flash floods and extra costs reinstating burst flood banks which could all be avoided if dredging of rivers and ditches were carried out yearly, it's such a simple process which could save massive costs in repairs and insurance claims.
    22 of 100 Signatures
    Created by John Mcintosh
  • What the Frack! Regular referendums. Let the UK public vote for their future.
    Members of the public find it difficult to support a political party 100%. Our system is out of date, our MPs out of touch, the public go unheard. We agree with points made by the Lib Dems, the Conservatives, Labour, the Green Party, the SNP etc and sometimes we disagree with them all. Either way we can't communicate with the government effectively. The system needs to work for us all but instead it's dusty, nobody really understands it or cares to sort it out with any long term vision. We need to start again. Simplify. Direct questions, direct answers. If regular referendums were to take place, the public are truly part of the process, allowing us to demonstrate what we care about, that we're united and want to invest in the future of this land and it's people. Less moaning and more doing, having a proactive and fair say, feeling satisfied that the decisions are being made and supported by the majority of the UK. Let the UK public vote for their future. This Kingdom can then begin to feel proud and respected, and most importantly, united.
    27 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Tezia Perret
  • Tell energy suppliers we won't buy fracked gas
    Fracking is opposed by so many people across the country and yet the government won't listen to our protests. Theyre not listening to demonstrations and theyre not listening to local councils. But there is one thing they listen to: money. If we tell energy suppliers we won't buy from them if they deal in fracked shale gas, then they won't buy it. If no one buys it, it won't be financially viable and then maybe the government will finally understand that we the people can't be ignored on this issue! We need to act fast, before fracking starts in the UK.
    29 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Philippa Clarkson
  • Stop giving funds for renewable clean energy to polluting high energy use companies
    In making these industries exempt, the funding has to come from elsewhere. The Conservative government has made it clear that it will not finance renewable energy off its own back, so funding will instead be passed on to regular households. The Government proposes to withdraw support for short-term funding (the next 4-5 years) of renewable technologies like solar panels and wind turbines as they are concerned it will add £ 7 p.a. to consumers energy bills which is unacceptable. Households will see their bills increase by £5 a year for the next four years to fund this exemption, at a total cost of £20 added to household bills. What has also been revealed is that projected savings from “reforming” (closing) the renewable obligation and feed-in tariff (renewable energy support schemes) will save households a total of £17 over the same period. Clearly, this action does not fit with the Governments intention to save consumers money on their energy bills as this action actually increases consumer energy bills. Renewable energy industries benefit communities, reduce wholesale future electrical energy costs and reduce pollution, making the environment a better place for current and future generations. Money used to support these schemes will now be passed as "Levy Control Framework Exemptions" (tax breaks) to high energy busines users - who pollute the planet and cause pollution related illnesses. The European Commission has aggregated a list of industries it considers intensive users of energy. That list, includes but is not limited to industries such as the mining of hard coal and the manufacture of refined petroleum products. On the face of it, it looks as if savings made from the feed-in tariff are being handed straight to large energy users to make sure they can survive the kind of difficult business environment the government is creating for domestic solar. It’s a galling prospect, and one that flies completely against any ‘the polluter pays’ principle put across in environmental law. “Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children” Please sign this petition to let George Osborne know we want a clean environment for our children and not to give money used to support clean energy industries away to support polluting fossil fuel companies. More details on the link below, but please read the quote below the link from Carl Sagan - a famous astronomer who was moved to write about the last image of our planet, taken as a Voyager satelite left our galaxy : http://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/editors_blog/fit_cut_savings_all_but_handed_to_potential_polluters_under_eii_2592 “From this distant vantage point, the Earth might not seem of particular interest. But for us, it's different. Consider again that dot. That's here, that's home, that's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand. It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.” ― Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot:
    88 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Glenn Ashby
  • Support to get a Bee Haven Built in Horsham
    Bees are dying. This is having great affect on our environment if action is not taken quickly the damage won't be repairable. Bees provide us with food in the form of honey, pollination and they also produce many other natural products which we benefit from.
    26 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Stephanie Fountain
  • A PEOPLE'S ENERGY COMPANY FOR LONDON
    While big energy companies make record profits, the fuel bills of ordinary Londoners are out of control. And while other major cities make the transition to clean energy -- tackling air pollution and climate change -- London is lagging behind. We don’t have to accept profiteering, poverty and pollution. Switched On London is calling for a people-powered alternative. A publicly owned company with social justice, clean energy and democracy at its core... SOCIAL JUSTICE --> We want an energy company that offers fair, affordable prices, based on a progressive pricing system. --> We want an energy company that does not cut-off access to those who can’t pay and that does not install unwanted prepayment meters. --> We want an energy company that re-invests all revenues in measures to address fuel poverty and the cost of living crisis, particularly prioritising ambitious investment in household energy efficiency measures. --> We want an energy company that treats its workers fairly, meaning paying at least a London Living Wage, good terms and conditions, secure, unionised and non-precarious work. CLEAN ENERGY --> We want ambitious public investment in new renewable energy generating capacity (we are initiating research into an appropriate specific investment target). A significant portion should be invested in renewable capacity in London. --> The GLA and London local authorities must divest their pension funds from fossil fuels, and re-invest this money to fund the new renewable capacity we need. Other public funding sources for new renewable investment to be explored include municipal bonds and borrowing. --> We want an energy company that aims to sell 100% renewable energy as soon as feasibly possible. DEMOCRACY --> We want a company fully owned by London public bodies (without any private partners) but controlled by people directly. --> To do this, we want to integrate a range of democratic mechanisms, including: 1. A board of directors made up of: 1/3rd London public officials; 1/3rd energy company employees elected democratically by the whole energy company workforce; 1/3rd ordinary London residents, elected democratically with all London residents and all non-London customers given a vote. Board membership must guarantee at least 50% representation of women. 2. Annual open assemblies in every London borough, where representatives of the company have to answer questions and take input and advice. 3. The creation of an online democratic forum where people can discuss and influence the company’s operations, including through public petitions. 4. An obligation for the board to discuss public petitions, if backed by 1% or more of London’s population. 5. An obligation for an online referendum on a proposal, if backed by 5% of London’s population. 6. 100% transparency in all operations. 7. These democratic measures apply to all London residents, regardless of citizenship/nationality status.
    96 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Switched On London
  • Stop Mega Dairies. Stop the lagoon in Hartland Devon.
    Mega Dairies, where over 1000 cows are held in sheds 24/7 all year, are cruel and cause serious environmental damage. It is often called 'zero-grazing' when cows are never allowed in fields. It is a disgraceful form of farming... and it is entirely unnecessary. It is motivated only by greed not a social need. In Hartland in Devon an enormous slurry lagoon has been built, without even asking for permission, in the middle of an AONB. Since then the whole area has suffered considerable environmental damage and several people blame their health problems on it. And the cows... well they are healthy when measured in terms of milk yield but just look into their eyes. It is sad to see. It is in complete contrast to cows in fields that show curiosity and a spectrum of social behaviors. Please help us stop this kind of farming. Stopping this lagoon is the first step. http://stopit.org.uk The farm in Hartland is owned by the same persion that was responsible for the Nocton that resulted in an uproar of protest and Early Day Motions in Parliment.
    39 of 100 Signatures
    Created by John McKay
  • Pesticide and herbicide free Cornwall
    Many pesticides used in towns have been linked to serious illnesses like cancers and birth defects. Children are particularly vulnerable. Hundreds of towns around the world have already gone pesticide-free It’s time that Cornwall took the initiative and did the same. We need to protect our children from the harmful effects of pesticides. The French government have brought in a law to stop the use of all non-agricultural pesticides by 2020 - so it is possible. If Cornwall were to stop their use it would help protect our children and provide wider social and environmental benefits to all the citizens of this great county.
    69 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Nick Mole