On February the 24th I attended an APPG Parliamentary Reception about local stories of climate action. I attended on behalf of Community Energy Birmingham (CEB) along with fellow CEB director Dr Joseph Day

I made a short speech about the work of CEB. I spoke about our solar arrays funded by the Feed In Tariff and the identity crisis that community energy suffered when the Feed In Tariff was cut. I finished by stating that Community Energy is making a big comeback and can be a big part of democratising our energy systems on the way to net zero.

Other groups spoke to MP’s about their experiences too. Including a GP, who spoke about the health impacts of cold homes and students worried about their lives as the climate emergency worsens. A representative from Co-op Group spoke about the work that they are doing on sustainability in the supply chain to help reach their net zero targets.

MPs from different political parties listened and engaged with our speeches. It is widely acknowledged that we need to do energy differently from how we have in the past. The speakers stuck around and spoke to the MPs about our organisations and the work that we are doing.

The current war in the Middle East is yet another example of how our reliance on fossil fuels is damaging our society. Community Energy Birmingham is one co-operative that has shown how energy can be done differently. It can be for the benefit of the local community, energy security and help us avert catastrophic climate change. Continued reliance on fossil fuels will lead to more shocks to our energy system, making energy more expensive, especially to those with less wealth.