Canterbury on Ice “major climate crisis”

29th November 2019 Rosie Hedges 282 Views canterbury city council, christmas, environment

There has been controversy surrounding the opening of Canterbury on Ice in Dane John Gardens.

Locals have deemed the the ice rink as a “major climate crisis” even though the City Council declared a climate change emergency earlier in July.

A Freedom of Information request sent to the Council by campaigner, Adam Daniel, revealed that the ice rink will need around 46,000 litres of water and will be powered by two 200kva diesel generators.

Canterbury resident and environmentalist that was in the city commented on the matter;

“It’s confusing to me as to why they would announce a climate emergency a few months ago and then open this up. I really think they’ve contradicted themselves.

“It’ll be a major climate crisis and they should have thought about it properly”.

The diesel generators that will provide power to the rink and food concessions, consuming between 60,000 and 90,000kWh of electricity, enough to fuel 20 homes for a year

Canterbury City Council put out a statement on their Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/CanterburyCityCouncil/posts/2879012888798397

They stated that they planned the ice rink before they declared a climate emergency;

“The decision to run an ice rink was taken prior to the climate change declaration, but we would accept the point that the way it is being delivered in this, its first year, is not the most environmentally friendly.

We hope the rink will become a permanent fixture in the events calendar, and in future, the way it is delivered will change to ensure it leaves a much smaller environmental footprint. The issue has been considered and we are going ahead because it will be a great festive attraction, provide jobs for local people and boost the economy.

“The climate emergency does not simply mean you stop doing stuff”

Will the ice rink ever be a zero carbon event? Probably not, but that’s okay. It goes back to the point about getting the right balance. The climate emergency does not simply mean you stop doing stuff, but it does mean you have to consider it in everything you do”.

One person commented: “I’m big on climate issues but this is once a year locally. I see a lot of bigger issues at play in terms of general waste and emissions”.