Prepared and ready to the fight the Climate Crisis, Bristol City Council has reaffirmed its support for Government’s Climate Bill.
This follows confirmation that 2024 is set to be the hottest year on record.
The council meeting on Tuesday confirmed that Bristol had no intention of shying away from the climate crisis and wanted fundamental change in order to tackle the ever-evolving problem.
Councillor Sarah Classick, of the Liberal Democrat Party, proposed the motion, arguing that whilst it is an ‘ambitious’ pledge, it is achievable and necessary.
“The current framework in the UK is currently not strong enough to make sure that we hit our international obligations, including things like the 1.5-degree increase.’”
✅ Latest analysis of our efforts to reach carbon neutrality has revealed that over the past 8 years, we've reduced our direct carbon emissions by 60%
— Bristol City Council (@BristolCouncil) December 12, 2024
Forecasted further reductions in 2025 show we’ll achieve a total reduction of nearly 90%
More info: https://t.co/2Eyitechg4 pic.twitter.com/2R1q4xYKA8
“Our role is to lead by example and pressure leaders to act nationally.”
Councillor Classick was supported in this motion by environmental charity ‘Zero Hour’, named for the Doomsday Clock, which metaphorically represents humanity’s closeness to global catastrophe.
The Bill faced some opposition from local Conservative Councillors who believed that there needed to be greater public involvement in solving the problem.
The decision came just days before Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner’s announcement that some green spaces may need to be used in order to build housing, which could be perceived as a violation of the Bill.
However Allan Gray, communications lead for ‘Zero Hour’ believes that the housing crisis can be fixed alongside the climate crisis, arguing that creating conflict between the two is detrimental in fixing both problems
“Some compromises need to be made… it’s about how you work them together… but now is the time to act.”
