Mayors and council leaders across England and Scotland promise to do 'everything in our power' to eliminate CO2 from their communities before 2045
Council leaders from across the political spectrum representing over 20 million people in England and Scotland have today pledged to "do everything within our power and influence" to drive down local emissions to net zero by 2045 at the latest, five years sooner than the UK's national target.
In a joint pledge released today, 38 regional and city leaders from London, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow and beyond have committed to "eliminate" carbon emissions from their local authorities by 2030, and to neutralise greenhouse gases from their local communities by 2045.
"As local leaders, we are uniquely placed to help tackle the climate emergency," the pledge states. "We are closer to the people who live and work in our communities, so we have a better understanding of their needs. This means we can collaborate with them to build consensus for the solutions we need to transition to a net zero society that delivers multiple benefits and is fair, just and works for everyone."
Achieving the target would mean areas in which a third of the population of England and Scotland live - totalling 20.4 million people - could deliver net zero emissions five years sooner than the UK as a whole, which has a statutory goal to achieve net zero by 2050.
The pledge has been signed by Labour's Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, Conservative West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, and Edinburgh City Council Leader Adam McVey from the SNP, as well as a host of council leaders from across the UK.
"We will be bold and brave, carrying out strong climate action now and building prosperous, secure and more resilient communities that are healthier, cleaner and safer, in ways that follow the science and are practical and achievable," the statement continues. "We pledge to assess our largest impacts on climate change, prioritise where action needs to be taken and measure and monitor progress towards targets. We will reduce our emissions at source and limit the use of carbon offsets, to play our part in the global effort to avoid the worst impacts of climate change."
To date, three-quarters of English councils have declared a 'climate emergency', but a report last week by Green Alliance argued a lack of funding and strategic support from central government was making it hard for local authorities to drive progress towards the UK's net zero target.
Burnham said urgent collective action was crucial to tackling the climate emergency, and argued that with additional support from central government cities and local authorities could go further and faster in decarbonising. "With the eyes of the world on the UK ahead of COP26 next year, local authorities can support the government to set an example for the rest of the world - but we require the funds and flexibility to act quickly and drive the change we need to see," he said.
Today's pledge was spearheaded by UK100, a network of 100 local leaders committed to ramping up climate action, which is set to meet later today with the COP26 High Level Climate Action Champion, Nigel Topping to highlight the importance of local leadership in driving climate action at the crucial UN Climate Summit next year in Glasgow.
"These ambitious local leaders have pledged to do everything within their power to reach net zero emissions as soon as possible in a way that benefits their communities with new jobs and skills," said Polly Billington, director of UK100. "From Edinburgh to Cornwall, local leadership, alongside funding and powers is key to winning the race to net zero."