UPDATES

What Tower Hamlets are doing to reduce carbon emissions

Extract from the minutes of the Council meeting on 20th March 2019

“5.3 Petition calling on the Council to Declare a Climate Emergency and become carbon neutral by 2025
Rachel Ellman and others addressed the meeting on behalf of the petitioners, and responded to questions from Members. Councillor Rachel Blake, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Air Quality then responded to the matters raised in the petition. She thanked the petitioners, especially the school children for presenting the petition, demonstrating why the problem
of climate change should be taken seriously in the Borough.
On behalf of the Council, she declared a climate emergency in the Borough and highlighted a number of Council initiatives, including a new action plan, to reduce carbon omissions.
She also urged the community to keep up its efforts to help address this issue
RESOLVED
1. That the petition be referred to the Acting Corporate Director Place, for a written response within 28 days.”

Tower Hamlets Drive for Clean Air

“Here in Tower Hamlets, the council took a huge step on Wednesday 20th March 2019 by declaring a climate emergency, committing to reduce emissions from the council to net zero by 2025.

This came as the result of a petition which, with 1,100 paper signatures and over 1,000 online, was one of the biggest ever presented to our borough.

Helping to present the petition were two 10-year-olds from a local school who spoke passionately and eloquently about their fears and hopes regarding air pollution and the environment, earning a standing ovation from councillors.

This is fantastic news for the future of our borough, but groups involved in the petition are keen to keep the pressure on to ensure that action takes place appropriate to achieving the goal.”