Link to minutes of Gloucestershire County Council Meeting on 15th May 2019.

RESOLVED that this Council notes:

· That humans have already caused irreversible climate change, the impacts
of which are being felt around the world.
· That global temperatures have already increased by 1°C from pre-industrial
levels and atmospheric CO2 far exceeds levels deemed to be safe for
humanity.
· The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) special report on
global warming of 1.5°C, published in January 2019, which tells us that
limiting Global Warming to 1.5°C may still be possible with ambitious action
from national and sub-national authorities, civil society, the private sector,
indigenous peoples and local communities.
· That the world is on track to overshoot the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C limit
before 2050.
· That the consequences of global temperature rising above 1.5°C are so
severe that preventing this from happening must be humanity’s number one
priority.
This Council further notes that:
· The UK is responsible for 1% of the world’s CO2 emissions, and whilst we
have reduced those emissions more than any other developed country, this
council notes that without global action we will not succeed.
· New Zealand, France, Belgium, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, the
Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden have all committed to zero carbon
by 2050.
· This is the recommended position of the independent Committee on Climate
Change.
· This is the position of parliament, as first laid out by Alex Chalk MP, and later
supported by Jeremy Corbyn MP in an opposition day debate last month.
· The IPCC has acknowledged that we must immediately reduce the amount
of carbon emissions by 2030.
· Gloucestershire County Council recently appointed a Cabinet Member with
specific responsibilities tied to climate change.
· Gloucestershire County Council is on target to reduce corporate carbon
emissions by 60% by 2020/21 against its 2006/07 baseline.
· Bold climate action can deliver economic benefits
· Councils around the world are responding by declaring a ‘Climate
Emergency’ and committing resources to address this emergency.
· The UK Parliament has recognised the climate emergency
· The County Council has a leadership role, along with other public sector
bodies, in reducing Carbon emissions across the whole county.
Minutes subject to their acceptance as a
correct record at the next meeting
– 16 –
This Council resolves to:
· This Council welcomes and endorses on behalf of Gloucestershire the
declaration of a climate change emergency by parliament on behalf of the
UK and urges other countries to do the same.
· Commit towards an 80 per cent reduction in the Council`s corporate carbon
emissions no later than 2030, striving towards 100 percent with carbon
offsetting by the same date.
· Commits the Council to following the scientific advice of the Committee on
Climate Change, as advocated in parliament by Alex Chalk MP, and
subsequently by Jeremy Corbyn MP, and deliver a carbon neutral county by
2050, and work with partners to identify what measures would be needed to
deliver a stepped target of 80% carbon reduction by 2030 to reflect the IPCC
report on climate change.
· Call on Central Government to provide additional powers and resources to
support local and national action towards this 2030 target.
· Lobby national government to commit to 100 per cent carbon neutrality by
2050.
· Consider its contracts going forward to oblige all contractors to report their
carbon emissions and to place a ‘carbon/environmental cost’ on competing
bids.
· Do all in its power to adopt, implement and strengthen the Gloucestershire
Sustainable Energy Strategy.
· Ensure that our major plans, such as the local transport plan, have clearly
identified strategies to reduce carbon emissions.
· Work with district and borough councils to reduce the districts’ carbon
footprint within their corporate strategies.
Provide an annual report to the Environment Committee, with a performance
update on a quarterly basis to the relevant committees including details of the
resources required to meet the Council’s 2030 carbon neutral target.