On this first anniversary marking the inauguration of a constitution and free elections among our membership, it gives me great pleasure as the first mayoral representative for London to be able to address you this Unity Day. Unfortunately, in our present climate of political turmoil, the word Unity is not ...
On this first anniversary marking the inauguration of a constitution and free elections among our membership, it gives me great pleasure as the first mayoral representative for London to be able to address you this Unity Day.
Unfortunately, in our present climate of political turmoil, the word Unity is not one that is often used. We are constantly reminded that we live in a divided, and divisive country. The only thing we are told we certainly do share, are the problems and difficulties ahead. Concern for Social Services and the NHS, an uncertain future for trade and industry affecting jobs and the Economy, and above all climate change, threatening our very existence.
The last of these more than any other has become synonymous with a general feeling of helplessness that I think most of us feel, from being continuously confronted by issues affecting our lives so large, so intractable, that we cannot imagine a solution.
Last week a report outlined a scenario in which civilisation as we know it would end in as little as 30 years. The premise for this scenario was simply not meeting the Paris Agreement targets set for 2030 and subsequently proceeding in the same measure for a further 20 years without agreement. Interestingly, the report was delivered not to address the Climate Change implications from the failure of the Paris Agreement, but rather to explore the National Security response that might now be needed to be prepare for that eventuality. The report concluded that to secure our future:
“This requires the global mobilisation of resources on an emergency basis, akin to a wartime level of response.”
- National Centre for Climate Restoration, Australian NGO
In London we are acutely aware of what impact harmful pollution has on our lives. Some ten thousand of us die every year from pollution related illnesses, many more suffering heart disease, asthma, dementia and cancer from the fifty million kilos of Nitrogen Oxide, Dioxide and particulate matter exhausted by road vehicles into the city each year. Beyond the personal cost, the NHS is estimated to spend some 3.7 billion pounds treating the victims of this pollution.
Why focus on this as an expression of our Unity Day?
We share a common dream. Life; throughout the Solar System, on its worlds and moons, and in the vast spaces between. Too easily we forget however, that we already live on the most amazing spaceship we could ever possess. Anything our artifice may later achieve could only ever be as good as Spaceship Earth, a place we all share together. The preservation of Earth as our first, best home, must never be diminished no matter how far our ambition takes us from it. We understand that the very best case for humanity’s aspirations beyond the Earth, are to ultimately ensure a paradise here on Earth.
Some Nation States understand their responsibility toward this larger goal. In the UK we are fortunate to live in a country leading by example the planetary initiatives necessary to make that change. This year marked the first time since the Industrial revolution that coal power did not, albeit for four days, form a part of our electricity supply. Overall our energy reliance on fossil fuels this year fell below 150 Terrawatthours (TWH), while our energy supply from clean renewable wind and solar power rose above 100 TWH. Next year this gap will close and we will enjoy half of our electricity from renewable energy, a tipping point which can only accelerate us away from fossil fuel use. The Government has repeated its commitment to achieve a carbon neutral nation by 2050 and I believe we will surpass that goal.
At home in London this year we saw the inauguration of the Ultra Low Emissions Zone. In the first month of operation alone, ten thousand of the most polluting vehicles were reduced from our City’s streets. This excellent initiative is a prelude to removing all combustion engines from the streets of London. I call on all Asgardians to encourage the Mayor’s Office to make all vehicles in London electric within the next decade. By 2030 in London, let us dare to breath clean air, and then everywhere.
Since founding the UK Space Agency in 2010 consecutive Governments have pursued a strong Space agenda. The UK is committed to increased participation with ESA and has funded the ISS allowing our participation for the first time in their human spaceflight program, culminating in Major Tim Peake’s 6 month mission aboard the Station in 2015-16. The Space Industry Bill was introduced in Parliament this year to ensure our ongoing commercial space success. Some 42,000 people work in the UK Space Sector and the industry globally represents some £70Bn worth available market opportunities. UK Satellite manufacturing leads the world while we ambitiously pursue next generation horizontal launch facilities in Cornwall and Prestwick to complement a vertical launch site in Sutherland. UK companies like Virgin Galactic and Orbital Access are on the forefront of the country’s future launch and spaceflight capability.
It would be a travesty if we did not leverage London’s position as the world’s leading financial investment centre to enhance the country’s space ambitions. I ask London’s financial institutions to examine their investment portfolios and commit just 1% of their funding to Space Industry opportunities. To further encourage this, I ask City Hall and Government to promote sweeping tax incentives and investment relief. To go far beyond existing Entrepreneur Investment Schemes and deliver a truly comprehensive package of benefits through which Space companies can flourish, to establish rapid growth of the industry, and to ensure we secure ourselves as a world leader in Space. Together our membership can drive this agenda here in London, and from there deliver global action for a comprehensive commercial presence in space.
In all this, Asgardians are unified by our desire for a sustainable and healthy environment because we intend to inhabit places beyond the Earth. We share a common hope for our long term ability to succeed as a species. We are determined to seize the initiative through individual action and responsibility by establishing the technological and social change necessary to overcome the problems before us. Let us send a message that we can and will shape our future by acting with unity today.
