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Extract from Minutes of Council meeting
2) Notice Submitted on Motion – Climate Emergency
The following motion was submitted and moved by Councillor Glen Harrison and seconded
by Councillor Dave Parkins under Council Procedure Rule A9:-
“This Council notes that the impacts of climate breakdown are already causing serious
damage around the world.
That the ‘Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C’, published by the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change in October 2018, (a) describes the enormous harm that a 2°C
average rise in global temperatures is likely to cause compared with a 1.5°C rise, and (b)
confirms that limiting Global Warming to 1.5°C may still be possible with ambitious action
from national and sub-national authorities, civil society and the private sector.
That all governments (national, regional and local) have a duty to act, and local
governments that recognise this should not wait for their national governments to change
their policies.
That strong policies to cut emissions also have associated health, wellbeing and economic
benefits; and that, recognising this, a growing number of UK local authorities have already
passed ‘Climate Emergency’ motions.
That Council therefore commits to:
Declare a ‘Climate Emergency’ that requires urgent action.
Make the Council’s activities net-zero carbon by 2030.
Achieve 100% clean energy across the Council’s full range of functions by 2030.
Ensure that all strategic decisions, budgets and approaches to planning decisions are in
line with a shift to zero carbon by 2030.
Support and work with all other relevant agencies towards making the entire area zero
carbon within the same timescale.
Ensure that political and chief officer leadership teams embed this work in all areas and
take responsibility for reducing, as rapidly as possible, the carbon emissions resulting from
the Council’s activities, ensuring that any recommendations are fully costed and that the
Executive and Scrutiny functions review council activities taking account of production and
consumption emissions and produce an action plan within 12 months, together with budget
actions and a measured baseline;
Request that Council Scrutiny Panels consider the impact of climate change and the
environment when reviewing Council policies and strategies.
Work with, influence and inspire partners across the district, county and region to help
deliver this goal through all relevant strategies, plans and shared resources by developing a
series of meetings, events and partner workshops.
Request that the Council and partners take steps to proactively include young people in the
process, ensuring that they have a voice in shaping the future.
Request that the Executive Portfolio holder with responsibility for Climate Change convenes
a Citizens’ Assembly in 2019 in order to involve the wider population in this process. This
group would help develop their own role, identify how the Council’s activities might be made
net-zero carbon by 2030, consider the latest climate science and expert advice on solutions
and to consider systematically the climate change impact of each area of the Council’s
activities.
Set up a Climate Change Partnership group, involving Councillors, residents, young
citizens, climate science and solutions experts, businesses, Citizens Assembly
representatives and other relevant parties. Over the following 12 months, the Group will
consider strategies and actions being developed by the Council and other partner
organisations and develop a strategy in line with a target of net zero emissions by 2030. It
will also recommend ways to maximise local benefits of these actions in other sectors such
as employment, health, agriculture, transport and the economy.
Report on the level of investment in the fossil fuel industry that our pensions plan and other
investments have, and review the Council’s investment strategy to give due consideration
to climate change impacts in the investment portfolio.
Ensure that all reports in preparation for the 2020/21 budget cycle and investment strategy
will take into account the actions the council will take to address this emergency.
Call on the UK Government to provide the powers, resources and help with funding to make
this possible, and ask local MPs to do likewise.
Consider other actions that could be implemented, including (but not restricted to):
renewable energy generation and storage, providing electric vehicle infrastructure and
encouraging alternatives to private car use, increasing the efficiency of buildings, in
particular to address fuel poverty; proactively using local planning powers to accelerate the
delivery of net carbon new developments and communities, coordinating a series of
information and training events to raise awareness and share good practice.”
Members were also in agreement within the Chamber that disposable plastic cups should
not be used at future meetings and be replaced with glasses to help reduce the Council’s
carbon footprint.
After a debate, the motion was put to the vote and declared carried.
Resolved (1) That this Council noted that the impacts of climate
breakdown were already causing serious damage
around the world, and:-
(2) That this Council therefore commits to undertake
the actions as per the full motion listed in the report
attached to the Council agenda.