Motion on behalf of the Labour Group

This Council resolves to declare a Climate Change Emergency.

This Council notes that:

Climate Change is being caused by human activity emitting greenhouse gases. According to the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (‘IPCC’) urgent and unprecedented changes are needed to keep global warming to a maximum of 1.5 degrees centigrade.

There has been a dramatic change in the climate as a result of carbon emissions generated by human activity including:-burning of fossil fuels (like petrol, diesel and gas) for energy; deforestation; farming; and, the manufacture of cement, metals and chemicals.

Over the past 100 years, human activity has significantly increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This has enhanced the ‘greenhouse effect’ heating the atmosphere and oceans, destabilising the climate and endangering people and the planet. Pollution levels have reached epidemic proportions with 9,500 Londoners (50,000 people countrywide) a year dying of pollution related causes. A loss of biodiversity has seen 25% of mammals, 41% of amphibians and 13% of birdlife under threat.

The world has already warmed 1 degree centigrade since records began (higher over land where people live) with the 10 highest years recorded occurring since 2005, (NASA published 2019) with the 5 warmest years in the last five years. In the UK the seven hottest years ever recorded in the UK have all occurred since 2003 (Meteorological Office)

Climate Change has impacted on Havering with increased number of flooding events and recently wildfires endangering life and damaging property. .

The Council approved its Climate Change Action Plan on 17^7h November 2021 and resolves to revise and update it annually in view of the emergency which exists and which has recently been emphasised by the United Nations General Secretary (26/10/2022) and by the Joint Committee on National Security Strategy which stated that “the UKs critical infrastructure is exposed due to ‘extreme weakness’ in it, in view of climate change.

The UN’s IPCC reports state that we must take radical action to keep climate change within safe levels. Beyond this, catastrophic and irreversible change is expected. Yet as of 2023 the amount of greenhouse gases we are emitting continues to rise. The action planned in the UK to date is not enough to meet its climate commitments.  The Council’s Climate Change Action Plan (as revised from time to time) sets an ambitious target to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2040. Given the recent reports, science and events in Havering the Council believes now is the time to declare a climate emergency.

(No amendments received).

The motion on behalf of the Labour Group was AGREED by 42 votes to 6 (see division 5) and AGREED as the substantive motion, without division.

RESOLVED:

This Council resolves to declare a Climate Change Emergency.

This Council notes that:

Climate Change is being caused by human activity emitting greenhouse gases. According to the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (‘IPCC’) urgent and unprecedented changes are needed to keep global warming to a maximum of 1.5 degrees centigrade.

There has been a dramatic change in the climate as a result of carbon emissions generated by human activity including:-burning of fossil fuels (like petrol, diesel and gas) for energy; deforestation; farming; and, the manufacture of cement, metals and chemicals.

Over the past 100 years, human activity has significantly increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This has enhanced the ‘greenhouse effect’ heating the atmosphere and oceans, destabilising the climate and endangering people and the planet. Pollution levels have reached epidemic proportions with 9,500 Londoners (50,000 people countrywide) a year dying of pollution related causes. A loss of biodiversity has seen 25% of mammals, 41% of amphibians and 13% of birdlife under threat.

The world has already warmed 1 degree centigrade since records began (higher over land where people live) with the 10 highest years recorded occurring since 2005, (NASA published 2019) with the 5 warmest years in the last five years. In the UK the seven hottest years ever recorded in the UK have all occurred since 2003 (Meteorological Office)

Climate Change has impacted on Havering with increased number of flooding events and recently wildfires endangering life and damaging property. .

The Council approved its Climate Change Action Plan on 17^7h November 2021 and resolves to revise and update it annually in view of the emergency which exists and which has recently been emphasised by the United Nations General Secretary (26/10/2022) and by the Joint Committee on National Security Strategy which stated that “the UKs critical infrastructure is exposed due to ‘extreme weakness’ in it, in view of climate change.

The UN’s IPCC reports state that we must take radical action to keep climate change within safe levels. Beyond this, catastrophic and irreversible change is expected. Yet as of 2023 the amount of greenhouse gases we are emitting continues to rise. The action planned in the UK to date is not enough to meet its climate commitments.  The Council’s Climate Change Action Plan (as revised from time to time) sets an ambitious target to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2040. Given the recent reports, science and events in Havering the Council believes now is the time to declare a climate emergency.