NOTICE OF MOTION – CLIMATE CHANGE EMERGENCY
Proposed by Councillor Roche and seconded by Councillor Allen:-
This Council:-
In the most recent State of the UK Climate 2017 report, trends show that
the UK climate is continuing to warm and that sea levels continue to rise:
We will be experiencing summers that are 2.5ºC warmer,
Our winters will be milder with the average temperatures being
2.2°C warmer
There may be a 16% decrease in summer rainfall making our
summers much drier but more variable
Winters will be wetter with an average of 14% more rainfall
Mean sea levels around the UK have risen by about 16 cm since
the start of the 20th Century.
The IPCC Special Report on Global Warming published in October 2018
states that we have just 12 years to act on climate change if global
temperature rises are to be kept within the recommended 1.5 degrees
Celsius.
The government has set a target date of 2050 for Britain to produce “net
zero” carbon emissions. All governments (national, regional and local)
have a duty to limit the negative impacts of climate change, and local
authorities that recognise this should not wait for their national
governments to change their policies.
In recent years, Rotherham Council has been reducing its carbon
emissions by about 3% per year. Recent statistics from the energy
switching website migrate.co.uk suggest that over the last 10 years
Rotherham has seen the fifth biggest reduction of our emissions overall
amongst 21 local authorities in Yorkshire & the Humber.
Nationally to date over half of the Councils in England have declared a
climatic emergency as has the National Government. Rotherham has
previously developed a climate change strategy but now is the time to
reassess our objective for the years ahead.
This Council notes that there are significant opportunities to reduce
RMBC’s carbon emissions over the coming years:
- The proposed development of a district heat network from
Templeborough Power Plant, powered by sustainable biomass - The proposed introduction of a community energy switching
scheme, moving properties including council homes onto 100%
renewable sources of electricity - The recent installation of electric vehicle charging points, including
for Council vehicles, and future re-provision of the Council’s fleet of
vehicles - Encouraging external providers of Council services to reduce their
carbon emissions as part of our Social Value Policy - The proposed planting of fifty million trees across the country,
including potentially some in Rotherham, as part of the “Northern
Forest”
This Council therefore resolves to: - Join other local authorities in declaring a climate emergency
- Create a Members Working Group to propose an informed target
for the Council’s carbon reduction by 2025 and to review it every 5
years thereafter, and to develop a “Carbon Action Plan” towards
these goals, and that this Working Group should report back to the
Council no later than March 2020 - Develop a strategy for RMBC to play a leadership role in promoting
community, public and business partnerships in reducing carbon
emissions - Mandate officers to lobby Government for additional resources to
support this strategy where these are required - Pledge to produce, in January of each year, a Rotherham Climate
Emergency Annual Report, detailing the Council’s progress against
the Carbon Action Plan - Pledge to ask our partner organisations across Rotherham to
support us by making clear commitments to dealing with this
climatic crisis
Require all officer reports from April 2020 to Cabinet and Full Council to
contain Impact assessments in relation to Climate change.
On being put to the vote, the motion was carried unanimously.
