UPDATES

What Waltham Forest are doing to reduce carbon emissions

The motion that was passed:

This Council notes that:
On 8th October 2018, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
released a report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial
levels, and related global greenhouse gas emissions.
The report warns that the risk of catastrophic climate change including extreme heat,
drought, flooding and climate-related poverty would significantly increase unless
global warming could be kept to a maximum of 1.5°C.
The report authors found that global warming is likely to reach 1.5°C between 2030
and 2052 if it continues to increase at the current rate, and say that urgent and
unprecedented action is required to meet the target.
We have just 11 years to act.
This Council recognises that:
Over the last ten years Waltham Forest has successfully met the carbon reduction
targets set out in the 2008 Climate Change Strategy, which set an overall target to
reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 80% by 2050.
There has been a 32% reduction in total emissions between 2005/06 – 2016/17 (the
latest year for which figures are available), and a 43% reduction in per-capita carbon
emissions. Waltham Forest residents have the second lowest per capita carbon
emissions in London.
Waltham Forest has for many years been at the forefront of often innovative initiatives
to raise awareness, improve our environment and reduce the impact of the Council
and resident activities on our planet. These initiatives include:
 The nationally recognised and successful Enjoy Waltham Forest Programme
which has contributed to a reduction from 58,000 to just 6,300 households being
exposed to illegal levels of emissions; and leading to more people walking and
cycling more than they were before;
 Installed significant numbers of solar panels and other local and micro energy
creating solutions on Council residential and office accommodation including the
Energy Centre at the new Marlowe Road Estate;
 The most ambitious tree planting programme in the borough’s 50 year history;
 Becoming the first Council in the UK to commit to totally divest its pension
portfolio from fossil fuels;
 Running ‘Repair Cafes’ to encourage and enable residents to mend items rather
than replace them;
 Working with Waltham Forest Friends of the Earth to reduce ‘single use plastics’
from our town centres;
 Worked with the Hubbub and local Transition groups to introduce ‘Community
Fridges.’
This Council declares:
The findings of the October 2018 IPCC report show that we now face a ‘climate
emergency’, and that urgent action is required to restrict global warming to a
maximum of 1.5°C.
To join with other Councils in declaring a Climate Emergency.
Call on the UK Government to provide the necessary powers and resources to make
local action on climate change easier
A new Climate Change Strategy will be launched in July that will set out immediate
actions to ensure that we maintain our current pace in reducing carbon emissions and
more.
But we acknowledge that more needs to be done. Tackling climate change can only
be a common endeavour; it is not something that we as a council can do alone, we
also need residents, businesses and other organisations to share this agenda.
We will launch a Climate Change Commission to help shape our local response to
this global challenge and to produce a set of policy ‘asks’ for our regional and national
politicians. If we are serious about reducing our shared impact on the planet we will
all need to work together and act in a way that has not been seen so far.
This Council resolves:
As we await the outcomes of the Climate Commission Waltham Forest Council we
will:
 Begin the roll-out of ‘School Streets’ across the borough to reduce the carbon
footprint of the ‘School Run’
 Review our Waste Collection Offer and pilot new ways to secure increased
levels of reduction, reuse, repair, reimagining and recycling.
 Continue with the delivery of the Enjoy Waltham Forest Programme and the
design and policy principles that support it
 Continue to work with TfL to improve levels of ‘active travel’ and reduce the
carbon footprint of the public transport network in Waltham Forest
 Support the Children’s Portfolio Holder to work with Waltham Forest schools at
all levels to embed awareness and teaching of the facts about climate change
into their day to day teachings and activities
Support both the Housing and Economic Growth Portfolio Holders to bring forward
proposa