April 2020 update
It is hard to reflect on the climate emergency whilst the coronavirus crisis is turning all our lives upside down. Hammersmith & Fulham’s Resident led Climate and Ecological Emergency Commission (CEEC) is continuing its’ work and will now also be looking at how we can learn from the actions currently being taken to respond to the coronavirus emergency.
On 17 July 2019, the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham unanimously agreed with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that there is a Climate and Ecological Emergency. In passing the Climate and Ecological Emergency Motion, the council set a target for the whole of the borough of Hammersmith & Fulham to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2030.
That was the easy bit. We now need to work out how this can be achieved in an effective and meaningful way that delivers positive long-term outcomes.
The UK can and should act as a leader in the global response to climate change - UK emissions contributed to causing it, and its leadership can have an international impact.” – UK Government, Committee on Climate Change
Infographic from the Committee on Climate Change on net zero domestic emissions (pdf 780KB)
It has become increasingly understood by all political parties, all faith groups and all parts of our community that urgent action is now needed to protect ourselves from the worst impacts of climate change. This shared understanding gives me hope that the action needed might also bring our divided society together and be an amazingly positive experience.
The IPCC and the global scientific community are unequivocal that society needs to de-carbonise at an unprecedented scale and pace over the coming decade if we are to avert the worst effects of climate breakdown. In conjunction, we face a crisis in our natural environment, with a 60 per cent loss of wildlife populations over the last 50 years.
The role of the CEEC will be to challenge and support the council in delivering their net zero ambition by 2030, and help to bring about the recovery of nature and wildlife across the borough, acting as a role model to other London boroughs.
I believe that a zero carbon, ecologically rich society is something to look forward to. By articulating the amazing quality of life that could be achieved in a well-balanced community that would result from a zero carbon, ecologically rich society, we can build an exciting and positive vision for the future.
By defining a clean, fresh and healthy environment in which people care about each other and where success is measured by high levels of well-being, everyone; council officers, councillors, residents and people working in or visiting the borough will be encouraged to change their behaviour and help each other to work towards a prosperous future for all.
During the first three months of the commission's work, we have engaged with H&F Council officers and hosted an engagement event in February at the Lyric Theatre that helped us to learn from local residents about which areas of work we should focus on. We have now structured the commission into working groups and hope to bring you regular updates starting with feedback on the ideas gathered at the Lyric Theatre engagement event.
See all the pictures from the Lyric Theatre engagement event on our Flickr photo gallery
We will also be developing a presence on Instagram and Twitter and make use of Next Door to help start a conversation about how the CEEC can both help the Council to respond to the Climate Emergency and help us understand what we can do as individuals.
We need to have an open and honest conversation about what LBHF can achieve and what needs to be done through regional and national policy initiatives. We need to be prepared to tell the truth and be brave enough to respond to the evidence with action that matches the existential threat that the climate and ecological emergency demands.
Paul Beaty-Pownall
CEEC Chair