Exeter City Council has declared a climate emergency – and will aim to be carbon neutral by 2030 at the latest.
There was unanimous agreement at Tuesday night’s full council meeting to declare the emergency following a previous declaration in March of their aim to be make Exeter a Carbon-Neutral City by 2030.
Exeter City Council agreed to commit to its operations becoming carbon neutral ahead of the 2030 date and mobilise resources to develop internal plans to deliver the target.
A Carbon Neutral Delivery Team led by Exeter City Futures will establish a city plan for delivery of the carbon neutral target and that they should convene a Carbon Neutral Mandate Group to validate, challenge and endorse the roadmap produced.
And Tuesday night’s meeting saw the council agree to recognise the connected biodiversity crisis and the vital role in tackling climate change and that road map will set out measures to improve biodiversity, in particular the protection and planting of trees.
But leader of the council, Cllr Phil Bialyk warned that just declaring a climate emergency didn’t mean they had solved climate change.
He said: “Tackling climate change is very important to us but we want it to mean something. We have not resolved the problem tonight and we cannot just walk away, patting ourselves on the back thinking as we have passed the resolution, the work is done.
“There is lots to do and we are leading the way. We will do anything and everything we can as a district authority for not just us and our families, but for everyone in the city. It is so important but the work goes on.”
Deputy leader of the council, Cllr Rachel Sutton, who is also the lead councillor for Climate and Culture, added: “This is pressing and a vital part of our work going forward. We are not just declaring an emergency but how we intend to tackle it.
“We cannot do this on our own and need to take other major organisations in the city with us and we are all going to need to make changes to tackle this problem.”
Green Party councillor Diana Moore said that she welcomed the declaration of a climate emergency, and added: “This is not a rehearsal like our fire alarm we had earlier. We are making a decision now for a more secure future for our children, but we need to act now.”
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Leader of the Conservative Group, Cllr Andrew Leadbetter, said that he was delighted to declare a climate emergency and that the council should be working together towards the same goals, while Cllr Kevin Mitchell, leader of the Progressive Group added: “We need to make our city as green as possible and have the infrastructure in place to enable people to live a green lifestyle.”
As well as declaring the climate emergency and commit to becoming carbon neutral ahead of the 2030 date, the council agreed that a “Carbon Neutral Delivery Team” be convened by Exeter City Futures Community Interest Company to establish a city plan for delivery, a special meeting of Place Scrutiny Committee, be convened on a biannual basis, to collate and discuss all of the work by Exeter City Council in respect of Climate Change, and once the action plan has been received, council reports should include an analysis of the progress and impact in working towards a Carbon neutral city goal.
