Agenda item

MOTION ON THE CLIMATE AND ECOLOGICAL EMERGENCY BILL

Decision:

RESOLVED:

 

Council notes that:

 

Many local authorities are playing an important role in the UK taking action to achieve net zero carbon emissions, and to protect and revitalise local wildlife and natural habitats.

 

Parliament in May 2019 declared an Environment and Climate Emergency and this Council has already declared a Climate Emergency.

 

There is a Bill before Parliament—the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill (published as the “Climate and Ecology Bill”), which, if it became law, would require the government to develop a strategy to address the emergency that would ensure:

 

the ecological emergency is tackled shoulder to shoulder with the climate crisis in a joined-up approach;

 

the Paris Agreement is enshrined into law to ensure that UK does its real fair share to limit global temperature rise to the most stringent end of the Paris agreement -1.5°C;

 

the Leaders Pledge for Nature is enshrined into law to ensure that the UK’s ecosystems are protected and restored with a focus on biodiversity, soils and natural carbon sinks;

 

the UK takes full responsibility for our entire greenhouse gas footprint (i.e. consumption emissions plus shipping, flights and land-based transport) by accounting for all of the emissions that take place overseas to manufacture, transport and dispose of the goods and services we import and consume;

 

the UK takes full responsibility for our ecological footprint so that we protect health and resilience of ecosystems along both domestic and our global supply chains; and

 

an independent, temporary Climate and Nature Assembly is set-up, representative of the UK’s population, to engage with the UK Parliament and UK Government to help develop the emergency strategy.

 

Council therefore resolves to:

 

·                Support the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill;

 

·                Inform the local media of this decision;

 

·                Write an open letter to all North Hertfordshire MPs (shared with our residents through local and social media) urging them to sign up to support the Bill, or thanking them for doing so; and

 

·                Write to the CEE Bill Alliance, the organisers of the campaign for the Bill, expressing its support.

Minutes:

Audio Recording – 34 minutes 27 seconds.

 

Councillor Steve Jarvis proposed the motion as follows:

 

“Council notes that:

 

Many local authorities are playing an important role in the UK taking action to achieve net zero carbon emissions, and to protect and revitalise local wildlife and natural habitats.

 

Parliament in May 2019 declared an Environment and Climate Emergency and this Council has already declared a Climate Emergency.

 

There is a Bill before Parliament—the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill (published as the “Climate and Ecology Bill”), which, if it became law, would require the government to develop a strategy to address the emergency that would ensure:

 

the ecological emergency is tackled shoulder to shoulder with the climate crisis in a joined-up approach;

 

the Paris Agreement is enshrined into law to ensure that UK does its real fair share to limit global temperature rise to the most stringent end of the Paris agreement -1.5°C;

 

the Leaders Pledge for Nature is enshrined into law to ensure that the UK’s ecosystems are protected and restored with a focus on biodiversity, soils and natural carbon sinks;

 

the UK takes full responsibility for our entire greenhouse gas footprint (i.e. consumption emissions plus shipping, flights and land-based transport) by accounting for all of the emissions that take place overseas to manufacture, transport and dispose of the goods and services we import and consume;

 

the UK takes full responsibility for our ecological footprint so that we protect health and resilience of ecosystems along both domestic and our global supply chains; and

 

an independent, temporary Climate and Nature Assembly is set-up, representative of the UK’s population, to engage with the UK Parliament and UK Government to help develop the emergency strategy.

 

Council therefore resolves to:

 

·                Support the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill;

 

·                Inform the local media of this decision;

 

·                Write an open letter to all North Hertfordshire MPs (shared with our residents through local and social media) urging them to sign up to support the Bill, or thanking them for doing so; and

 

·                Write to the CEE Bill Alliance, the organisers of the campaign for the Bill, expressing its support.”

 

Councillor Adem Ruggiero-Cakir seconded the motion and reserved his right to speak.

 

The following Members participated in the debate:

 

·                Councillor Claire Strong

·                Councillor Michael Muir

·                Councillor Steve Jarvis

·                Councillor Adem Ruggiero-Cakir

 

On the vote it was:

 

RESOLVED:

 

Council notes that:

 

Many local authorities are playing an important role in the UK taking action to achieve net zero carbon emissions, and to protect and revitalise local wildlife and natural habitats.

 

Parliament in May 2019 declared an Environment and Climate Emergency and this Council has already declared a Climate Emergency.

 

There is a Bill before Parliament—the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill (published as the “Climate and Ecology Bill”), which, if it became law, would require the government to develop a strategy to address the emergency that would ensure:

 

the ecological emergency is tackled shoulder to shoulder with the climate crisis in a joined-up approach;

 

the Paris Agreement is enshrined into law to ensure that UK does its real fair share to limit global temperature rise to the most stringent end of the Paris agreement -1.5°C;

 

the Leaders Pledge for Nature is enshrined into law to ensure that the UK’s ecosystems are protected and restored with a focus on biodiversity, soils and natural carbon sinks;

 

the UK takes full responsibility for our entire greenhouse gas footprint (i.e. consumption emissions plus shipping, flights and land-based transport) by accounting for all of the emissions that take place overseas to manufacture, transport and dispose of the goods and services we import and consume;

 

the UK takes full responsibility for our ecological footprint so that we protect health and resilience of ecosystems along both domestic and our global supply chains; and

 

an independent, temporary Climate and Nature Assembly is set-up, representative of the UK’s population, to engage with the UK Parliament and UK Government to help develop the emergency strategy.

 

Council therefore resolves to:

 

·                Support the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill;

 

·                Inform the local media of this decision;

 

·                Write an open letter to all North Hertfordshire MPs (shared with our residents through local and social media) urging them to sign up to support the Bill, or thanking them for doing so; and

 

·                Write to the CEE Bill Alliance, the organisers of the campaign for the Bill, expressing its support.