However, the majority of people including many so called sustainability practitioners look at me as if I have got two heads when I dare to say that the exisiting economic and materialistic systems are fundamentally broken and cannot be fixed. Asides such as shale gas fail to address the principle issue that the use of energy to produce goods as part of a system that requires continual growth to survive is not one that can ever be sustainable.

The ecological constraints of the planet are what bounds our existence, the human race is already well in excess of the carrying capacity of the planetary support mechanisms and it is only a matter of time before a catastrophic collapse occurs.

If we continue to disturb the natural regulatory systems of the planet then the very means to support ourselve will be undermined.

It is all very well promoting the idea of a circular economy but we need to go further and decide just what it is we need to enable us to live a sustainable existence and then eliminate what we don’t need. That way we can assess our material requirements in relation to the available resources and their natural cycles of regeneration and govern our production accordingly.

Firstly, our basic needs; clean water, food, shelter, warmth, clothing, medicines need to be provisioned fairly and globally – then energy and the technological requirements needed to provide us all with our basic needs. Only after this can other consumer items be considered.

The current systems and economics only manage to exist by depleating the ecosystems of others to satisfy the greed for consumerist lifestyles and products of an over indulgant minority. Unfortunately the have nots are being influenced by the haves to desire more and more, it is not sustainable and sooner or later the doos are going to hit the fan big time.

We need to start to change locally and holistically manage our resources and reject politicians who do not support a radical change but continue to promote more of the same. Lets stop being sheep and start being human beings!

It might be helpful to explain that around three-quarters of bus services outside London are provided on a commercial basis by private operators and the remainder of services are tendered by local authorities. Decisions such as where to run services, the frequency of those services, the type of vehicle used, the level of fares or agreed local concessions are mainly a matter for the operator concerned.

It is worth noting that, where there is not enough demand for a bus route to be commercially viable in its own right, local authorities have powers to subsidise bus services. Around one-fifth of all bus services are subsidised in this way.

The Government does encourage bus operators and local authorities to work together to ensure that the interests of passengers, and consequently the wider community, are taken into account when any service changes are being considered. We believe that local authorities, rather than central Government, are best placed to understand the transport needs of their residents. It is essentially a matter for those authorities, working with local operators and the community, to identify which services are most appropriate for support in their respective areas.

Sophia McNab, Campaign Coordinator for Climate Week says:

“Climate Week has been promoted by our supporting partners and stakeholders in the six months leading up to the campaign. Over a quarter of the UK population is aware of Climate Week, with over half a million people attending events around the country this week. Climate Week has received fantastic support from a range of leading organisational bodies, networks and associations. Defra and other Government Departments have also supported Climate Week. We’re sorry you didn’t hear about it in advance John, but I hope you found a way to get involved. Thanks for getting in touch”