This is not a ‘climate emergency’ declaration:
At the Council Meeting on October 17th it was unanimously RESOLVED that
The Environment & Sustainability Committee, with the support of the working group, form a report on the implications of climate change for RBC and for this report to have regard to, but not be limited to, consideration of the matters set out in items 1-14 of this motion as set out below:
- Declare a ‘Climate Emergency’
- Set up or purchase market and information monitoring tools that allow
reasonable estimates of the carbon emissions of all economic and social
activity regardless of sector within the borough. - Set a target to make Runnymede Borough Council carbon neutral by 2025, taking into account both production and consumption emissions.
- Set a target to make the whole of the borough, including all economic and social activity regardless of sector, carbon neutral from a production and energy consumption (including transport) point of view by 2030.
- Call on Westminster to provide the powers and resources to make the 2030 target easier to achieve.
- Instruct the Constitutional and Legislative MWG to explore ways the
Sustainable Communities Act could be used to support RBC carbon
emissions reduction targets. - Work with other councils and the government to determine and implement best practice methods to limit Global Warming to less than 1.5°C. Continue to work with partners across the region to deliver this new goal through all relevant strategies and plans.
- To set up a specific climate change and carbon reduction MWG and require all service committees to be presented with policies and plans to deliver against these targets within 6 months.
- Produce a report for next Council on the level of investment in fossil fuel
and carbon intensive industry of our pension plan and other investments. - Embed climate change targets into the Council’s future investment plans.
- Embed climate change objectives into planning policy.
- Report by Annual Council 2020 a costed action plan to get to targets set out above
- Report to Council annually with the current situation and plans the council will take to address this emergency.
- Aspire for national recognition as having the most ambitious and
comprehensive climate change targets, plans and accountability structures of any branch of local government in England and Wales.