Green action across Britain has pushed more than 27 councils to declare a climate emergency, creating a mechanism to hold local authorities to gold standard climate action.
The Green Party launched the campaign, which aims to see every council in England and Wales declare a climate emergency, in response to the UN’s warning we have until 2030 to take positive action limit climate catastrophe.
With the Government in Westminster failing to take the action needed to meet the scale of this challenge, Green Party councillors and members are stepping up to take local action to curb climate breakdown.
Motions calling for councils to declare a climate emergency have so far been passed on 25 principal authorities across England and Wales, with many speeding up commitments to go carbon neutral. Climate emergencies have also been declared on 10 parish or town councils.
Bristol City Council was the first principal authority to declare a climate emergency in November 2018, with Cambridge City Council becoming the 25th on Thursday 21 February.
Green London Assembly member Caroline Russell has also pushed the Mayor of London to declare a climate emergency after winning support from the London Assembly to go carbon zero by 2030.
Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party who won a climate emergency declaration from Lambeth Council where he is a councillor, said:
“Greens are setting the gold standard on climate action. The local people stepping up to lead where the Government has failed on climate action, are a source of hope for us all. The UN has made clear we have a limited window of opportunity before 2030 to limit climate breakdown, but the Government is twiddling its thumbs. I am incredibly proud of all Green Party councillors and members taking real climate action – it’s time for Westminster to follow our example.”