Greener Borough

Greener Borough

Climate Change targets

The Council recognises that climate change is one of the world’s biggest challenges and is committed to reduce its environmental impact and carbon footprint, and work with everyone to make the borough a greener, cleaner and fairer place.

The Council announced that will be joining other authorities in declaring Climate Emergency and has adopted two targets:

To lead by example by becoming net zero carbon by 2030 from its operations and buildings - embedding the reduction of carbon emissions in all relevant Council decision-making and operations, where we have direct influence.
The borough to be carbon neutral by 2040 -  ten years ahead of the Government’s targets.

The need for climate change

As a response to the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report (which outlined the need for immediate radical action if global temperatures are to be kept within 1.5°C of pre-industrial levels and prevent climate breakdown), the Council acknowledges that:

Climate Change is one of the biggest issues of the 21st century and as a council we are determined to show our contribution towards the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.
Radical action and bold changes are required if global temperatures are to be kept within 1.5°C of pre-industrial levels.
Achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2030 will require significant changes in the way the Council operates.
We are at a cornerstone when we need to take urgent action to fulfil our own and residents’ vision for a fairer, greener, cleaner, healthier borough with less polluted and safer streets.
We must reduce energy consumption and energy demand and develop behaviour change and awareness raising campaigns.
Collective action is required and the Council will work together to support residents, local organisations and community groups, businesses and housing associations to continue cutting emissions at pace and reduce our climate impact.

In the journey to cutting the borough and the Council’s climate impact, we can also build healthier, cleaner, fairer and more sustainable places to live and reconnect with nature.

How we will achieve this

• We will work with, and support, residents, community groups and businesses to reduce borough-wide emissions and be carbon neutral by 2040.
• We will lobby the Central Government and the Mayor of London to support our ambition and to provide the necessary resources and legal powers to achieve it.
• We will develop an ambitious action plan which sets out how the Council intends to deliver the Vision Carbon Zero and achieve the net zero carbon targets. The plan will also outline the route-map and the zero carbon scenarios for the Council to halve its own emisisons (which account for less than two per cent of the whole borough’s) and how the borough as a whole can achieve the same target by 2040.
• The action plan will be included in the updated Air Quality and Climate Change Action Plan and will outline the key major focus areas and quick wins for the Council to tackle internally and for the community and businesses to act on.
• We will set up a Strategic Board to monitor and report on the progress and produce an annual Carbon Performance Report to outline the progress.
• We will involve and consult the community in developing the action plan and imaginining a zero carbon borough.
• We are committed to support community groups and empower residents to develop community owned energy projects which will bring benefits to the local areas and put people at the heart of the energy system.

What are we doing to tackle climate change?

We have already shown commitment and ambition in tackling climate change at the local level through the development of a joint 2016-2021 Air Quality and Climate Change Action Plan (AQCCAP) and by setting up a 40% carbon reduction target  to be achieved by 2020 from the Council’s own buildings and operations compared to 2007/08 baseline (excluding the Council’s housing stock).

To reduce carbon emissions, we are working on various carbon reduction initiatives such as:

• Developing community owned energy projects such as the North Kensington Community Energy Project.
• Helping residents to tackle fuel poverty, reduce their energy bills and keep warm through Homes4Health scheme and Healthier Homes Project (which aims to assists residents living in homes that are cold, damp or dangerous and whose health may be at risk).
• Implement the zero carbon standard for all major residential schemes. The carbon offset  paid by developers can be used for other carbon reduction initiatives across the borough.
• Supporting residents to get high quality solar photovoltaic panels at highly competitive prices through the Solar Together Scheme.
• Delivering energy efficiency projects such as LED lighting upgrades and heating health checks to schools in the borough.
• Upgrading the existing street lamps across the borough to energy efficient LED lights (24% of the existing street lights have been converted to LED lights).
• Upgrading the energy efficiency of all Council-owned buildings.
• Greening the Council’s fleet, reducing unnecessary mileage and encouraging active travel (walking and cycling) for staff and residents.
• Reducing energy consumption and energy demand.
• Greening the office.
• Delivering educational and climate change assemblies and workshops in schools, and organising the Children’s Parliament on the Environment for schools.
• Phasing out single-use plastics from all Council’s buildings.
• Idling engines campaigns.
• Encouraging cycling and walking across the borough.
• Embedding sustainability and social value clauses in procurement.

What you can do 

• Measure your CO2 to find out where most of your emissions are generated on the WWF website or the Carbon Disclosure Project website.
• Read the Grantham Institute's guide to '9 things you can do about climate change' on the Imperial College website.
• Find out how eating a plant-based, seasonal diet can help tackle climate change on the Grantham Institute website.
• Discover what opportunities are available to make your house more energy efficient with tips from the Energy Saving Trust.

Air Quality and Climate Change Action Plan 2016 - 2021

The Council is tackling the twin challenges of climate change and poor air quality together and has put in place a combined Air Quality and Climate Change Action Plan (AQCCAP). Visit the Air Quality and Climate Change Action Plan 2016 - 2021 webpage.

The action plan will be updated to reflect the new climate change commitments and net zero carbon targets in 2020. The AQCCAP will include the new Council’s Vision Carbon Zero.

Contact us

To find out more about what the Council is doing to tackle climate change please email us at: [email protected].

Let’s all imagine a borough where people, communities and ecosystems can flourish. Share your ideas on how to make the borough carbon neutral by emailing us at: [email protected]. We want to hear from you and we are looking for active participation from residents, schools, local organisations and businesses.