Agenda item

This council notes:

·         The 2015 Paris Agreement was the symbolic beginning of a process of international agreement to drastically reduce carbon emissions with the aim of preventing the worst case scenario of climate change.

·         The world has now permanently passed 400ppm (parts per million) atmospheric Carbon Dioxide.

·         August 2016 marked 16 consecutive months of record-breaking global heat.

·         Climate change and the carbon economy are already linked to 5 million deaths a year.

·         The “climate cushion”, the period where governments were able to leave the problem for future generations, has entirely disappeared. Responsibility lies with current national governments and current local authorities.

·         Cambridge City Council is clear in its ambition to arrest climate change: deciding in October 2015 to divest from fossil fuels, deciding in March 2016 to become zero carbon by 2050, and deciding in October 2016 to source approximately 18,000,000 kWh per year of its own energy from renewables.

·         That the British government is seriously proposing airport runway expansion, awarding tax rebates for North Sea oil and gas companies of around £5 billion more than it receives in revenues, and tying the hands of local authorities to make decisions that reduce their own emissions and protect their environment and natural resources.

 

This council requests the Executive :

·         To move swiftly to draw up a clear strategy for becoming zero carbon, and explore opportunities to reach this target before 2050, seeking partnership with appropriate expert groups such as the Global Sustainability Institute and the Cambridge Science and Policy centre, and community groups such as Transition Cambridge and Cambridge Carbon Footprint.

·         To set an explicit ambition of being the first UK zero carbon city.

·         To apply, in the year following Brexit, to become a European Green Capital, to mark Cambridge’s commitment to sustainability for the benefit of all citizens of the world.

·         To begin a city wide consultation and behaviour change exercise targeting personal carbon emission reductions, in partnership with appropriate expert groups.

·         To organise an annual sustainability festival, starting in 2017, in partnership with appropriate expert groups.

·         To begin in 2017 an annual carbon budget cycle alongside the financial budget cycle, following the example of Worcester and Aberdeenshire councils.

·         To implement a new tree-planting strategy that will add 250 trees to the city per year.

·         To bring a report to Strategy and Resources committee about setting up a local energy company based on the Robin Hood model from Nottingham.

·         To take the lead in bundling residents’ energy needs to get a good deal on 100% renewable electricity.

·         To investigate funding options for a carbon accounting project, including the Economic and Social Research Council.

·         To make budget provision in 2017/18 for  a full-time sustainability officer who will work on embedding sustainability into council decision making and envisioning a sustainable, Cambridge in a zero carbon lean economy.

 

This council resolves to write to the UK Government, asking them:

·         To recognise the crisis that the world climate is in, and declare a climate state of emergency.

·         To urgently reduce carbon emissions, investment in fossil fuels, and regulation which favours fossil fuels.

 

Councillor Gillespie proposed and Councillor Gehring seconded the following motion: 

 

This council notes:

·         The 2015 Paris Agreement was the symbolic beginning of a process of international agreement to drastically reduce carbon emissions with the aim of preventing the worst case scenario of climate change.

·         The world has now permanently passed 400ppm (parts per million) atmospheric Carbon Dioxide.

·         August 2016 marked 16 consecutive months of record-breaking global heat.

·         Climate change and the carbon economy are already linked to 5 million deaths a year.

·         The “climate cushion”, the period where governments were able to leave the problem for future generations, has entirely disappeared. Responsibility lies with current national governments and current local authorities.

·         Cambridge City Council is clear in its ambition to arrest climate change: deciding in October 2015 to divest from fossil fuels, deciding in March 2016 to become zero carbon by 2050, and deciding in October 2016 to source approximately 18,000,000 kWh per year of its own energy from renewables.

·         That the British government is seriously proposing airport runway expansion, awarding tax rebates for North Sea oil and gas companies of around £5 billion more than it receives in revenues, and tying the hands of local authorities to make decisions that reduce their own emissions and protect their environment and natural resources.

 

This council requests the Executive :

·         To move swiftly to draw up a clear strategy for becoming zero carbon, and explore opportunities to reach this target before 2050, seeking partnership with appropriate expert groups such as the Global Sustainability Institute and the Cambridge Science and Policy centre, and community groups such as Transition Cambridge and Cambridge Carbon Footprint.

·         To set an explicit ambition of being the first UK zero carbon city.

·         To apply, in the year following Brexit, to become a European Green Capital, to mark Cambridge’s commitment to sustainability for the benefit of all citizens of the world.

·         To begin a city wide consultation and behaviour change exercise targeting personal carbon emission reductions, in partnership with appropriate expert groups.

·         To organise an annual sustainability festival, starting in 2017, in partnership with appropriate expert groups.

·         To begin in 2017 an annual carbon budget cycle alongside the financial budget cycle, following the example of Worcester and Aberdeenshire councils.

·         To implement a new tree-planting strategy that will add 250 trees to the city per year.

·         To bring a report to Strategy and Resources committee about setting up a local energy company based on the Robin Hood model from Nottingham.

·         To take the lead in bundling residents’ energy needs to get a good deal on 100% renewable electricity.

·         To investigate funding options for a carbon accounting project, including the Economic and Social Research Council.

·         To make budget provision in 2017/18 for a full-time sustainability officer who will work on embedding sustainability into council decision making and envisioning a sustainable, Cambridge in a zero carbon lean economy.

 

This council resolves to write to the UK Government, asking them:

·         To recognise the crisis that the world climate is in, and declare a climate state of emergency.

·         To urgently reduce carbon emissions, investment in fossil fuels, and regulation which favours fossil fuels.

 

Councillor Robertson proposed and Councillor R. Moore seconded the following amendment to motion (deleted text struck through and additional text underlined):

 

This council notes:

·           The 2015 Paris Agreement was the symbolic beginning of a process of international agreement to drastically reduce carbon emissions with the aim of preventing the worst case scenario of climate change.

·           The world has now permanently passed 400ppm (parts per million) atmospheric Carbon Dioxide.

·           August 2016 marked 16 consecutive months of record-breaking global heat.

·           Climate change and the carbon economy are already linked to 5 million deaths a year.

·           The “climate cushion”, the period where governments were able to leave the problem for future generations, has entirely disappeared. Responsibility lies with current national governments and current local authorities.

·           Cambridge City Council is clear in its ambition to arrest climate change: deciding in October 2015 to divest from fossil fuels, deciding in March 2016 to become zero carbon by 2050, and deciding in October 2016 to source approximately 18,000,000 kWh per year of its own energy from renewables.

·           That the British government is seriously proposing airport runway expansion, awarding tax rebates for North Sea oil and gas companies of around £5 billion more than it receives in revenues, and tying the hands of local authorities to make decisions that reduce their own emissions and protect their environment and natural resources.

This council requests the Executive :

·           To move swiftly to draw up a clear strategy for becoming zero carbon, and explore opportunities to reach this target before 2050, seeking partnership with appropriate expert groups such as the Global Sustainability Institute and the Cambridge Science and Policy centre, and community groups such as Transition Cambridge and Cambridge Carbon Footprint.

·           To set an explicit ambition of being the first UK zero carbon city.

·           To apply, in the year following Brexit, to become a European Green Capital, to mark Cambridge’s commitment to sustainability for the benefit of all citizens of the world.

·           To begin a city wide consultation and behaviour change exercise targeting personal carbon emission reductions, in partnership with appropriate expert groups.

·           To organise an annual sustainability festival, starting in 2017, in partnership with appropriate expert groups.

·           To begin in 2017 an annual carbon budget cycle alongside the financial budget cycle, following the example of Worcester and Aberdeenshire councils.

·           To implement a new tree-planting strategy that will add 250 trees to the city per year.

·           To bring a report to Strategy and Resources committee about setting up a local energy company based on the Robin Hood model from Nottingham.

·           To take the lead in bundling residents’ energy needs to get a good deal on 100% renewable electricity.

·           To investigate funding options for a carbon accounting project, including the Economic and Social Research Council.

·           To make budget provision in 2017/18 for  a full-time sustainability officer who will work on embedding sustainability into council decision making and envisioning a sustainable, Cambridge in a zero carbon lean economy.

This council resolves to write to the UK Government, asking them:

·           To recognise the crisis that the world climate is in, and declare a climate state of emergency.

·           To urgently reduce carbon emissions, investment in fossil fuels, and regulation which favours fossil fuels.

Cambridge City Council has an important role to play in our city in addressing the threat to our world from global warming. Following a review  and consultation we agreed a new Climate Change Strategy in March this year: This planned 45 actions focussed on five key areas over which we have greatest influence: 1. Reducing emissions from the City Council estate and operations 2. Reducing energy consumption and emissions from homes and businesses in Cambridge by promoting energy efficiency measures, sustainable construction, renewable energy sources, and behaviour change 3. Reducing emissions from transport by promoting sustainable transport, reducing car travel and traffic congestion, and encouraging behaviour change 4. Reducing consumption of resources, increasing recycling and reducing waste 5. Supporting Council services, residents and businesses to adapt to the impacts of climate change   The full Climate Change Strategy 2016-2021 can be found at www.cambridge.gov.uk/our-work-towards-a-sustainable-cambridge   Since March progress has been made in many areas to apply the strategy, for example: ·        Projects to greatly improve energy efficiency of council buildings have been undertaken which should save around 520,000 kwh per year, and further such projects are in development ·        The council’s electricity supply (around 7,000,000 kwh per year) has been moved to be entirely from renewable sources   We have also developed some of the actions including visiting Nottingham City Council where we discussed making use of their Robin Hood Energy Company. Only 24.9% of the electricity they supply comes from renewable sources but their work on providing a much better deal on prepayment meters means that we want to find ways to work with them as part of our anti-poverty strategy.   Many of the actions will be take time to implement over the period to 2021 but work is underway on them. For instance a seminar is being planned which will bring together expert groups and voluntary organisations working on climate change with the aim of identifying ways to encourage businesses and other organisations working in and near Cambridge to play their part in moving the whole city to be carbon neutral by 2050. To reach this position significantly before 2050 would mean emissions would need to reduce at an unrealistic rate. For instance a reduction to zero carbon by 2030 would require annual reductions in emissions of 7% each year.   Accordingly this Council resolves to confirm the Climate Change Strategy 2016-2021 and work on the 45 actions it contains rather than set unrealistic targets and also divert scarce resources into seeking awards.

On a show of hands the amendment was carried by 23 votes to 14.

 

Resolved (by 23 votes to 0) that:

 

This council notes:

·         The 2015 Paris Agreement was the symbolic beginning of a process of international agreement to drastically reduce carbon emissions with the aim of preventing the worst case scenario of climate change.

·         The world has now permanently passed 400ppm (parts per million) atmospheric Carbon Dioxide.

·         August 2016 marked 16 consecutive months of record-breaking global heat.

·         Climate change and the carbon economy are already linked to 5 million deaths a year.

·         The “climate cushion”, the period where governments were able to leave the problem for future generations, has entirely disappeared. Responsibility lies with current national governments and current local authorities.

·         That the British government is seriously proposing airport runway expansion, awarding tax rebates for North Sea oil and gas companies of around £5 billion more than it receives in revenues, and tying the hands of local authorities to make decisions that reduce their own emissions and protect their environment and natural resources.

 

Cambridge City Council has an important role to play in our city in addressing the threat to our world from global warming. Following a review  and consultation we agreed a new Climate Change Strategy in March this year: This planned 45 actions focussed on five key areas over which we have greatest influence:

1.           Reducing emissions from the City Council estate and operations.

2.           Reducing energy consumption and emissions from homes and businesses in Cambridge by promoting energy efficiency measures, sustainable construction, renewable energy sources, and behaviour change.

3.           Reducing emissions from transport by promoting sustainable transport, reducing car travel and traffic congestion, and encouraging behaviour change.

4.           Reducing consumption of resources, increasing recycling and reducing waste.

5.           Supporting Council services, residents and businesses to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

 

The full Climate Change Strategy 2016-2021 can be found at www.cambridge.gov.uk/our-work-towards-a-sustainable-cambridge

 

Since March progress has been made in many areas to apply the strategy, for example:

·         Projects to greatly improve energy efficiency of council buildings have been undertaken which should save around 520,000 kwh per year, and further such projects are in development.

·         The council’s electricity supply (around 7,000,000 kwh per year) has been moved to be entirely from renewable sources.

 

We have also developed some of the actions including visiting Nottingham City Council where we discussed making use of their Robin Hood Energy Company. Only 24.9% of the electricity they supply comes from renewable sources but their work on providing a much better deal on prepayment meters means that we want to find ways to work with them as part of our anti-poverty strategy.

 

Many of the actions will be take time to implement over the period to 2021 but work is underway on them. For instance a seminar is being planned which will bring together expert groups and voluntary organisations working on climate change with the aim of identifying ways to encourage businesses and other organisations working in and near Cambridge to play their part in moving the whole city to be carbon neutral by 2050. To reach this position significantly before 2050 would mean emissions would need to reduce at an unrealistic rate. For instance a reduction to zero carbon by 2030 would require annual reductions in emissions of 7% each year.

 

Accordingly this Council resolves to confirm the Climate Change Strategy 2016-2021 and work on the 45 actions it contains rather than set unrealistic targets and also divert scarce resources into seeking awards.