Agenda item

Report of Councillor Petty (attached)

Councillor Petty introduced the report and thanked officers for their work on the progress update of key activities related to the Climate Emergency Strategy and Action Plan.  She gave a slide presentation summarising the annual update of council carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions for the area and providing a brief overview of key achievements, challenges and required actions.  The presentation slides are included within the Council report. 

Councillor Petty proposed a further recommendation be added and that, as Executive Member, she write to Alok Sharma, President for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), confirming this council’s commitment and pushing the government to demonstrate its genuine leadership as hosts of the International Climate Change Summit in November.  This was seconded by Councillor Hogg.

Members thanked the Executive Member and officers for an excellent report and raised questions on key issues to which Councillor Petty responded.  The following points were addressed: the impact of the 1.1% increase in temperatures as evidenced by recent extreme weather events and whether temperature targets were achievable; the key risk areas requiring the most urgent attention and the challenge in addressing these, with current figures suggesting the council would achieve net zero in 2106 rather than 2030;  the importance of evidencing whether the council was moving towards its goals and the need for actual numbers and detailed information to be included under the ‘Climate Change and Environmental Implications’ section in reports to monitor this; if the council was serious in achieving its climate change commitments there was a need for every project to be looked at in detail in terms of what could be done better; the need to take a stance as community leaders and to bring the public along with us, as in the case of the Bristol International Airport expansion;  the need for significant changes in relation to transport as the biggest emitter of CO2; the need to consider what support could be offered to those working alongside the council to incentivise them to change to electric vehicles; issues around the introduction of Clean Air Zones and whether these should be supported; the need for the council to own the climate emergency and for individual councillors to challenge themselves and others to do more, giving people easy identifiable actions they can work towards to make a difference, such as the Plastic Free Weston Campaign;  the need for clarification around the increase in carbon volumes for waste, with further education required around waste and recycling; the importance of honest and open discussion around targets and challenges, with a third of local councils moving away from targets; a recognition of the complexities and the fact that local authorities had insufficient resources to achieve carbon neutrality, with tough decisions to be taken on what key services to cut if resources were to be re-directed to the climate emergency; the need for political leaders to show bravery in taking tough decisions to do the right thing which may not always be popular; the need to consider resilience to climate change as well as carbon reduction, investing in the council’s estate, assets and how we deliver services to ensure they were fit for purpose; particular challenges for less affluent households in making some of the proposed changes and the need to widely publicise any funding and grants available to help make these changes;  the need to put pressure on the government to insist on higher standards to drive down emissions;  recognition of the efforts being made by this council to lead by example in building housing to high quality certified standards.

Motion: Moved by Councillor Petty, seconded by Councillor Hogg and

Resolved:

(1)  that the annual update of the council carbon footprint be noted;

(2) that the annual update of North Somerset area emissions estimates be noted;

(3)  that the progress with specific initiatives within the Climate Emergency Strategy and Action Plan be noted;

(4)  that the Leader and Chief Executive share the council’s achievements with local MPs and ask them to highlight significant climate change requirements in the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review; and

(5) that the Executive Member writes to Alok Sharma, President for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), confirming this council’s commitment and pushing the government to demonstrate its genuine leadership as hosts of the International Climate Change Summit in November.