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“Notice of Motion – Environment and Climate Emergency
Councillor Kevin Foster requested consideration of the following Notice
of Motion, under Council Procedure Rule 11, which was seconded by
Councillor Rowe:
The Council notes that:
the impacts of climate breakdown are already causing serious damage
around the world;
the ‘Special Report on Global Warming’ published by the United Nations
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, (b) confirms
that limiting global warming to 1.5°C may still be possible with ambitious
action from national and sub-national authorities, civilsociety and the
private sector, and (c) estimates that irreversible damage to the planet’s
climate may take place by as soon as 2030, unless immediate action is
taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions;
the ‘Global Assessment 2019’ published by the United Nations
Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and
Ecosystem Services states that, (a) the health of ecosystems on which
we depend is deteriorating more rapidly than ever before, (b) we are
eroding the foundations of our economies, livelihoods, food security,
health and quality of life worldwide, (c) the current global response is
insufficient, and, (d) transformative change is required to restore and
protect nature;
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;
the UK Parliament declared a climate emergency on 1 May 2019, and
the Scottish and Welsh governments declared environment and climate
emergencies on 28 and 29 April 2019 respectively;
good environmental stewardship is a critical contributory factor to
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addressing climate change;
strong policies to cut emissions also have associated health, wellbeing
and economic benefits;
a growing number of UK local authorities have already passed ‘Climate
Emergency’ motions.
Council will therefore commit to:
Declaring a ‘Climate Emergency’ that requires urgent action;
making the Council’s own activities net-zero carbon by 2030, both
production and consumption;
achieving 100% clean energy across the Council’s full range of functions
by 2030;
supporting and working with all other relevant agencies to ensure that
the whole of Richmondshire achieves net-zero carbon (production and
consumption) within the same timescale;
ensuring that all strategic decisions, budget formulation and planning
policy is enacted to ensure protection of the environment and
achievement of net-zero carbon in the district by 2030, including the
following measures:
• explore policy to achieve the requirement for new-build houses to
use sustainable energy sources, in the form of solar panels and heat
pumps;
• making provision for and actually installing charging points for
electric cars;
ensuring that political and chief officer leadership teams embed
measures to safeguard the environment and climate in all areas of work
and take responsibility for reducing carbon emissions throughout
Richmondshire;
influencing and inspiring partners across the district, county and region
to contribute to achieving the council’s environment and climate goals;
convening and empowering a Climate Change Partnership Group (CCPG),
(involving Councillors, residents, young citizens, climate science and
solutions experts, businesses, and other relevant parties) to research,
develop and recommend, within six months, strategies and an action plan that will assist the Council in achieving its environment and climate goals;
ensuring that the council’s 2020/2021 budget cycle and investment
strategy take account of the output of the CCPG, and of those decisions
taken by councillors and officers that must be enacted to address this
emergency;
calling on the UK Government to provide the powers and financial
resources required to address the emergency;
joining the Local Government Association Climate Emergency Group. - 11 –
In debating the Motion, Members discussed the following:
Project oversight by Scrutiny and update reports to Council
Invitation to St Francis Xavier School’s Eco Team to make a
presentation to Council
Public engagement
In accordance with procedure rule 15.4, a named vote was requested
and taken as follows:
For: Councillors Amsden, Cullen, Dale, Dawson, Fairhurst, Foster,
Good, Grant, Grose, Heslop, Hodgson, Middlemiss, Ormston, Parsons,
Peacock, Rowe, Spencer, Thompson, Threlfall, Wicks, Wilson-Petch
and World. (22)
Against: None
Abstentions: None
Resolved: (Unanimously) That the Motion be supported
