Agenda item

MOTION 1

Motion to DECLARE A CLIMATE EMERGENCY

BwDBC notes:

1.    Humans have already caused irreversible climate change, the impacts of which are being felt around the world. Global temperatures have already increased by 1^oC from pre-industrial levels. Atmospheric CO₂ levels are above 400 parts per million (ppm). The latest report from the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in October 2018 gave us 12 years to implement changes to keep global warming to a maximum of 1.5°C in order to avoid widespread drought, food scarcity, heat related deaths and loss of biodiversity including insects and vital food crop pollinators.

2.    At present the world is on track to overshoot the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C limit before 2050. In order to reduce the chance of runaway global warming and limit the effects of climate breakdown, it is imperative that we as a species reduce our CO₂e (carbon equivalent) emissions from their current 6.5 tonnes per person per year to less than 2 tonnes as soon as possible.

3.    Individuals cannot be expected to make this reduction on their own. Society needs to change its laws, taxation, and infrastructure to make low carbon living easier and the new norm.

4.    Carbon emissions result from both production and consumption.

5.    Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council has already made some positive progress, but this is not enough. More can and must be done. The Independent Panel on Climate Change in its Oct. 2018 report was very clear that action from all parts of society is necessary and local government has a responsibility to lead the way.

6.    Town and city councils around the world are responding by declaring a ‘Climate Emergency’ and taking action to address this emergency.

BwDBC believes that:

1.    All levels of government (national, regional and local) have a duty to limit the negative impacts of climate breakdown. Local councils that recognise this should not wait for their national governments to change their policies.

2.    Towns and cities are uniquely placed to lead the world in reducing carbon emissions, as they are in many ways easier to decarbonise than rural areas.

3.    The consequences of global temperature rising above 1.5°C are so severe that preventing this from happening must be humanity’s number one priority.

4.    Bold local climate action can deliver economic and social benefits in terms of new green jobs, economic savings and market opportunities, as well as much improved well-being for Blackburnwith Darwen  residents – for example through reducing fuel poverty and energy bills, encouraging healthy, active travel and improving green spaces and access to nature.

BwDBC decides to:

1.    Declare a ‘Climate Emergency’.

2.    Commit to a target of making Blackburnwith Darwen carbon neutral by 2030, taking into account both production and consumption emissions (scope 1, 2 and 3 of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol - GHG Protocol establishes comprehensive global standardised frameworks to measure and manage greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from private and public sector operations, value chains and mitigation actions).

3.    Request an update report within six months setting out the immediate actions the Council has taken and will take to address this emergency and a plan to measure annual borough-wide progress towards meeting the 2030 target.

4.    Work with partners across our towns and across the region to deliver this new goal through all relevant strategies and plans and drawing on local and global best practice.

5.    Actively lobby the Government to provide the additional powers and resources needed to meet the 2030 target.

Proposed by:- Cllr Andy Kay

Seconded by:- Cllr Tasleem Fazal

MOTION 2

Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council calls upon our Chief Executive, to write to the MPs for both of our towns, requesting that they too write to the Secretary of State for DWP, Amber Rudd, as well as Secretary of State for Education, Damian Hinds to demand an urgent cumulative impact assessment of the austerity programme that has been driven by the Coalition government of 2010-2015 and the Conservative government since 2015.

As a result of the “benefit freeze” many families are unable to qualify for the 15 hours of 2 year olds free child care because the national minimum wage now exceeds the qualifying income level.

In addition to this, our Chief Executive and our MPs must also ask what the Government is going to do to alleviate the increases of poverty, including in work poverty levels now internationally recognised by the UN and others.

Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council calls for the reversal of the freeze of benefits, and demands an increase to all benefits and eligibility criteria in line with inflation, including the 15 hour offer of childcare for 2 year olds from £16,180 per year, which is the rate set in 2014. 

Proposed by: Councillor Vicky McGurk

Seconded by: Councillor Sylvia Liddle