Agenda item

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report/Summary of Main Issues

1.1       To consider a motion on the Climate Change, which was referred to the Committee by the Council at its meeting on 1st October. 

2.0       Recommendation

2.1       The Committee is requested to:

·        consider whether it wishes to agree to permit the proposer to amend the motion into the form of words appearing at 3.2 of the report.

·        consider whether it wishes to adopt that motion.

3.0       Main Report

3.1       At the Council meeting on 1st October, the following motion was proposed by Councillor O’Hara and seconded by Councillor Matt Collins:

            ‘This Council notes the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) special report on global warming of 1.5°C, published in October 2018, which tells us that limiting Global Warming to 1.5°C may still be possible with ambitious action from national and sub-national authorities, civil society, the private sector, indigenous peoples and local communities and notes the UK Governments target of reducing emissions to net-zero by 2050.  Council also notes the recent Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) reports on global species and habitat loss. This Council has supported a motion to declare a Climate Emergency and in light of these, this Council commits to a more ambitious and more urgent target of net-zero emissions than 2050. This target will be informed by the work undertaken below and will reflect the ambition of similar cities in the UK with an initial interim target of 80% by 2030.

            Council therefore;

·        Commits to becoming a carbon-neutral organisation as urgently as possible, and will publish an evidence-based decision on a target year by 2021 (including Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions as defined by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol);

·        Requests that the Chief Executive reports back to Council within eighteen months with an Action Plan and ‘roadmap’ to ensure that Belfast City Council becomes a carbon-neutral organisation by a recommended date;

·        Requests that the Chief Executive reports back to Council by 2021 with detailed information about how the Council will work with partners across the Belfast City Council Area and with central and devolved government to seek to ensure that Belfast District’s net carbon emissions (Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3) are reduced by 80% as speedily as possible compared to 2005 levels. This will include a resourcing plan for the Council and what that will require in terms of council decision making on the rates consequences.  The working group will also receive a report on the costs and activities required to develop a deliverable plan, including the expertise that will need to be procured;

·        Requests that Council immediately establish a Resilience and Sustainability Board similar to that in Manchester, to underpin our efforts to decarbonise Belfast;

·        Requests that the Council writes to the Central and Devolved government requesting:

(a)    additional powers and funding to make our climate mitigation and adaptation work possible; and

(b)   that Ministers work with other governments to ensure that the UK maximizes carbon reduction urgently in line with the overriding need to limit global warming to a maximum of 1.5°C.’

3.2       Following discussions with officers and having regard to the need to consider the consequences of the motion in terms of resource and budgetary implications the proposer wishes to amend the motion into the following form:

            ‘This Council notes the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) special report on global warming of 1.5°C, published in October 2018, which tells us that limiting Global Warming to 1.5°C may still be possible with ambitious action from national and sub-national authorities, civil society, the private sector, indigenous peoples and local communities and notes the UK Governments target of reducing emissions to net-zero by 2050.  Council also notes the recent Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) reports on global species and habitat loss.

            This Council has supported a motion to declare a Climate Emergency and in light of these, this Council commits to a more ambitious and more urgent target of net-zero emissions than 2050. This target will be informed by the work undertaken below and will reflect the ambition of similar cities in the UK, who have carbon neutrality goals more ambitious than the 2050 target. Glasgow, Bristol, Birmingham, Nottingham, Sheffield and Leeds have committed to 2030 and Manchester to 2038.

            Council therefore agrees;

·        Requests that Council immediately progresses with the establishment of  the Resilience and Sustainability Board, previously approved by SP&R and more recently by the Community Planning Partnership Board;

·        That the All Party Working Group on the Climate Crisis and Resilience Commissioner produce an Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Plan by 2021 for approval by Council committing the Council to becoming a carbon neutral organisation with timelines to be established having regard to the corporate planning and rate setting process.

·        That the targets in the Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Plan reflect the urgency of the issue and that the Council works toward achieving a target of zero emissions by 2035 or so soon thereafter as can reasonably be attained. This goal will lead the work of the Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Pan.

·        That the Chief Executive reports back to Council by 2021 with detailed information about how the Council will work with partners across the Belfast City Council Area and with central and devolved government to set a target for city-wide target to arrive at a position of net zero carbon emissions.

·        To write to Central and devolved government requesting:

(a)    additional powers and funding to make our climate mitigation and adaptation work possible; and

(b)    that Ministers work with other governments to ensure that the UK maximizes carbon reduction urgently in line with the overriding need to limit global warming to a maximum of 1.5°C.’

            In accordance with Standing Order 13(f), the motion was referred without debate to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee.

3.3       Financial and Resource Implications

            The programme(s) associated with the adoption of this motion are likely to have significant financial and resource implications which will need to be considered in the context of corporate planning and rate setting processes.

3.4       Equality or Good Relations Implications/Rural Needs Assessment

            None.”

            The Committee agreed to permit the proposer to amend the motion into the form of words appearing at paragraph 3.2 of the report and agreed also to adopt that motion.