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Time is running out for Warwickshire

Posted on by Bronwen Reid

Green Councillors propose urgent strengthening of Emergency Plans

kenilworth flooding

Climate Emergency is happening right now

Green Councillors are calling for leaders at Warwickshire County Council to urgently strengthen their Climate Emergency plans. The calls come after an International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report highlighted that not enough is being done to avoid catastrophic weather events and in the build up to the prestigious worldwide environmental conference that the UK hosts this Autumn.

The Green Councillors have proposed 7 actions to increase the pace of change that cover areas like building standards, transport emissions and stopping investing pension money in fossil fuels. These will be put before all Warwickshire Councillors for a decision on 28 September.

The Proposal

The full motion being put forward reads:

The latest IPCC report (August 21) was loud & clear, the Climate Emergency is not something we will face in the future but is happening right now. Warwickshire County Council declared a climate emergency in 2019, but with any emergency we must adapt and change our plans as needed.

Therefore, this Council recognises the August 2021 IPCC report and the report's conclusion that we must reduce carbon output with greater urgency.

Therefore, this Council will take the following steps to strengthen its own climate action plan:

  1. Develop for consideration a fully costed plan which is based on
    1. Bringing forward our commitment to become a climate neutral Council from 2030 to 2025 and our aim for the whole of Warwickshire from 2050 to 2033 and setting an indicative carbon budget for Warwickshire through to 2100
    2. Creating a dedicated 'Carbon Management Team' to implement and manage the Council's climate goals from April 2022.
    3. Building all new WCC buildings, schools and any buildings built with aid of WCC funding to carbon neutral and fabric-first standards, including the creation of a dedicated team to manage the Council's retrofit schemes across the County.
  2. Ensure all new procurement and grants require a plan to be incorporated into the award documentation with the expectation that all partner organisations will be carbon net zero by 2030.
  3. By 2025 over two thirds of the Council’s new transport capital investment is in walking, cycling routes, rail schemes, electric buses and charging rather than building new roads for vehicles causing more dangerous air pollution.
  4. Ask the Leader of the Council to write to the Chair of the Warwickshire Pension Fund Investment Sub Committee requesting it to divest from all companies involved in the extraction of fossil fuels.

How Can You Help?

You can help by contacting your County Councillor and asking them to support this motion.

You can contact them by visiting https://www.gov.uk/find-your-local-councillors

Councillor Will Roberts

Councillor Will Roberts who is making the proposals said:

"The latest IPCC report (August 2021) was loud & clear: the Climate Emergency is not something we will face in the future but is happening right now. Warwickshire County Council declared a climate emergency in 2019, but their current plans now fall short in addressing the Climate Emergency facing us all. We’re running out of time. This motion means the Council is able to step up its actions making sure Warwickshire is doing its bit and help protecting its residents. It’s hard to ignore the science or the terrible weather events that have cost so many lives over the last year alone.

It’s also important we understand the financial implications so we can properly plan to reduce our carbon emissions. If Governments and Councils had acted to reduce their emissions decades ago then the cost of action today would be negligible. We must act now so future Warwickshire generations don’t pay the cost in more than one way."

Councillor Jonathan Chilvers

Councillor Jonathan Chilvers, Green Group leader who is supporting the motion said:

"More and more councils are adapting their plans as they realise that we need to up the pace to keep us safe. I hope the Leader of the Conservative majority Council steps up to meet these changing challenges instead of allowing her Cabinet to just achieve a modest