Ealing Council Declares Climate Emergency
Follows stark warnings that the planet has 12 years to act
Ealing Council has agreed that there is a Climate Emergency triggering commitment to introduce plans to reduce its carbon footprint.
The motion was put forward by Liberal Democrat Councillor, Jon Ball, and was debated at full council.
Ball pointed to Manchester and Bristol city councils, who have both pledged zero-carbon targets by 2030 and 2038, and said Ealing should be taking similar steps.
He said: "Ealing Council needs to do more. Some councils require homes to be built with much better environmental standards than we do I want to know how. We need to find out what communities are achieving in other countries – and what we can learn from them. We need to lead the way: inspire others to follow us and shame those doing nothing.
He said: “This council cannot prevent catastrophic climate change, but we can acknowledge and accept we are facing a genuine climate emergency.”
The Labour leadership defended its record, citing the second highest recycling rates in London, 40 new electric car charging points being installed over the spring, higher priced parking permits for polluting cars and a reduction in speed limits to encourage walking and cycling.
Council leader Julian Bell also pointed to the council recently replacing eight diesel vehicles with electric ones, and said there were also plans to require new builds to produce ten per cent of their energy use from renewables.
Conservative councillor Alexander Stafford wasn’t convinced, however. He said: “What are we doing? The council has a large pension fund – are we looking at divesting (of fossil fuel investments). What about energy consumption at council? Are we looking at green tariffs? I think not.
“There’s so much more we could be doing straight away. We are looking at too small scale.”
Mr Stafford said five per cent of all carbon dioxide emissions were released from the production of concrete, and pointed out the large housing projects in the borough were only encouraging that production.
He said: “Don’t think passing a motion makes a difference, it’s the actions that make a difference.”
Written with additional content from local democracy reporter Ged Cann
4 April 2019