For more up to date information on which authorities have declared a climate emergency please visit the Climate Action Plan Explorer (built by mySociety in partnership with Climate Emergency UK). You can view the local authorities who have declared a climate emergency and their carbon neutrality/net-zero dates here.
Is there a standarised wording for the declaration?
If so, please could you send?
If not, isn’t there a danger of inconsistency and tokenism? Surely better that certain principles and even objective (e.g. net carbon neutral by 2030) are common across councils (also helps them working together towards a common goal).
Yes tokenism is a real problem and what occurred with the second council declaring in Australia, the city of Yarra. Inconsistency is less of a problem so long as the goals are a minimum of net zero by 2030 and the council actually tries to work towards this within their capacity and budgets.
You can even have undermining actions such as a declaration and then support for an expanded international airport or the spending of millions on a road bypass.
The theory of change behind the original campaign started in Australia was that councils can provide leadership and help educate their communities about both the threat of and solutions to the climate emergency, this would then help drive higher levels of government to act and ultimately force them to pull the BIG economic and legislative levers need to reverse global warming and restore a safe climate.
So the key focus from our point of view is leadership, education and advocacy framed by a sense of urgency and strong goals.
The response by councils is also dependent upon their size, capacity and commitment to action. For example the response of Los Angeles will be significantly different that what could be achieved by Forest of Dean to to budgets and scope of council operations.
We outline the basic approach for councils here http://www.caceonline.org/a-guide-for-councils.html and remember the key is leadeship, education and advocacy.
Adrian Whitehead
Director CACE (Council Action in the Climate Emergency)
Anybody out there from the Cambridge Citizens’ Assembly, Greater Cambridgeshire Partnership, Greater Cambridge Citizens’ Assembly, Civic Parish Councils or anyone else in East Anglia with an interest not just in climate change, as if that wasn’t enough, but also in sea-level rises and incursions – across Fenlands in particular?
Be good if responses are made in this place for the interest of anyone else living or working in lowland areas, and/ or they can be made to Cottenham2020@gmail.com with “Sea-Level Rises” in the Subject header.
We’re one of several Fen-Edge communities already thinking seriously about this in terms of the health and well-being of Cottenham’s future generations in our case but something shared is something gained.
Kind regards, Terry
Terry Jackson
Volunteer Management Committee Member
Sustainable Cottenham (SusCott) Unincorporated Association
& Cottenham Parish Council Volunteer Work Group
Hi Nick,
I’ll email you with the wording we are using for Wiltshire Council, this is being debated at full council on 26th Feb.
Wirksworth Town Council declared a Climate Emergency on 18 February. CAN WE BE PUT ON THE MAP PLEASE! Since then a Derbyshire & Derby City Climate Coalition has been formed, with a view to getting all the county tiers and unitary Derby to declare climate emergencies.
Hi all! I was just wondering how many councils in the UK have declared a climate emergency to date? I can’t really tell from the map… Would you know when this movement started (ie when was the first climate emergency declared)? Thanks!
The first Climate Emergency motion in the Uk was initiated by Bristol Green Councillor Carla Denyer, and passed with unanimous support in November 2018 – see ‘Greens declare a Climate Emergency and bring Bristols CO2 emissions target forwards 20 years’ – https://www.bristolgreenparty.org.uk/greens-declare-a-climate-emergency-and-bring-bristols-co2-emissions-target-forwards-20-years?p=1104
There’s a link to the motion and subsequent initial proposals for action we submitted tot he Mayor in January. The motion is comprehensive and covers direct and indirect emissions. The only thing not explicitly covered is the airport expansion backed by the Labour MNayor. Most other motions have been at least partly recycled from this one I think – even those which started with councillors from other parties or where a local green asked a councillor to promote a motion.
Ashburton Town Council also declared a climate emergency in March.
If this is, as I believe, a global emergency, more serious than a world war among humans, then serious measures need to be taken now. Local councils could make a start by commandeering all suitable land, revoking any building permissions and forming volunteer tree-planting groups.
After this, all uplands currently in the hands of super-rich landowners (oligarchs?) should be taken into public ownership, drainage removed and the land allowed to revert to wetland: this would provide protection from flooding to towns and villages lower down and allow the upland bogland, destroyed by landowners for so-called “sport” to become once again a massive carbon sink..
But don’t hold your breath; vested interests will fight back
ferociously. Police and armed forces will be used by government to protect them.
St Ive Parish Council, Cornwall declared a climate emergency on 9th April 2019. You might want to add us to the map. – Note: We are not St Ives Town Council.
South Brent Parish Council (Devon) declared an Environment and Climate Emergency today 20th May 2019. Please can you add us to the map?
Great to see you have started to add Republic of Ireland councils (local government) and National government. Thank you – the co-operation between “These Islands” is hugely historic & vital. Small Irish updates for you – Ireland declared “Climate And Biodiversity Emergency” 9th May. Also at least 1 other council is missing, Fingal Co. Co. same day as Dun Laoghaire Rathdown, Climate Emergency. ….and counting….. Beir Bua – Tonnta Glas Abú! / More Power to the Green Waves! Thanks, Keith
BTW: Island of Ireland Scores so far (my working draft only): 1/2 National Governments, 3/31 ROI Councils, 1/11 NI Councils….. And counting….
North Herts District Council declared a climate emergency on Tuesday 21st May.
Yes, listed here.
Bishopsteignton Parish Council (in the district of Teignbridge, Devon) declared climate emergency at their meeting held 13.05.19.
With members of the community and local interest groups the council are forming a steering group to develop an action plan and a strategy for communicating this to parishioners and encouraging their involvement.
Any advice and support would be greatly appreciated.
Chacewater parish council in Cornwall declared a climate emergency early this year, can we be put on the map please? Thankyou
Caister Parish Council Norfolk has declared a climate Emergency at their Annual meeting in May, With a plan to reduce Carbon emissions to zero by 2030 and will work to influence others.They have agreed to plant trees in a community event in the Autumn.
Hi, Are you able to share a copy of the declaration as I cannot find these within the meeting minutes. Thanks
Ludlow Town Council declared a Climate Emergency on 17th June. Here is the wording of the motion: Ludlow Town Council declares a Climate emergency, with the aim of becoming a carbon neutral organisation by 2030. It commits to identifying ways in which it can support this objective and to explore, with the community, the development of a LTC climate change strategy and to consider establishing a Climate Action Partnership.
Please could you add LTC to the map?
Chichester Parish Council have declared a climate emergency.
Wembury Parish Council declared a ‘Climate, Environment and Biodiversity Emergency’ on 24/06/2019.
hi – has Powys county Council declared a climate emergency?
No https://climateemergency.uk/blog/powys/
Hay Town Council declared a Climate Emergency back in 1st April 2019 (not a April Fools Day joke) http://www.haytowncouncil.gov.uk/images/user/HTC%20Minutes%201st%20April%202019%20-%20signed.pdf
Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea has recently declared climate emergency, but doesn’t appear on the map. Would be interested to know if you regard their commitment strong enough to count. Thanks https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/newsroom/all-council-statements/kensington-and-chelsea-be-carbon-neutral-2030
Over 289 million people are represented by local governments that have declared a Climate Emergency.
With regards to Angus in Scotland, the Motion 4 proposed and listed here was defeated, hence the news story you have got linked “Declare a non-emergency.”
SKDC declared a climate emergency in September 2019
Thurrock Council declared a Climate Change Emergency on the 23rd October 2019, please add use to your list
Godmanchester Town Council, in Cambridgeshire, declared a Climate Emergency at its Council meeting on 16 January 2020. It is now in the process of setting up a Strategy Working Group to ensure that changes are implemented in order to achieve Carbon-Neutral status by a date as yet to be defined with regard to an accellerated possibility. We hope that this date will be 2030. POlease can you advise how this move can be recorded and displayed on your site? Cllr Richard Taplin, Mayor of Godmanchester
Can we be put on the map please?