Our Government’s own advisors on the climate crisis, the Climate Change Committee(CCC) have repeatedly stressed how important our local councils are  in the fight to reverse the climate change we are now all experiencing with July 2023 just the latest example as the hottest month ever recorded globally. 

In 2021 in it Net ZeroStrategy, our  Government said that “devolved and local government(councils) play an essential role in meeting national net zero ambitions” because it “is best placed to integrate activity on the ground” and to inspire “action by, local businesses, communities, and civil society”.

According to the CCC, councils, including Derby,  have either direct power or some influence  over roughly one third of all climate changing greenhouse gas emissions in their local area.   Thats  control or influence over more than 4 million tonnes of the 13.7 million tonnes of  carbon dioxide and other climate changing gases released every year in  Derby.  

So we should  be drawing our council’s attention to examples of the imaginative,  practical and  effective actions being taken by other councils in the UK to cut greenhouse gas emissions and save their citizens money.  These councils are achieving this  despite the lack of money and powers from central government to do so.  Friends of the Earth have compiled case studies showing what these councils have achieved.  To be inspired, go to;

https://groups.friendsoftheearth.uk/resources/councils-tackling-climate-chaos

So we should be asking our own council what they are doing to help us all contribute to making  the drastic cuts in emissions scientists say we need to make by 2030 to avoid catastrophic climate change. – and save us money, now and in the future!    You can do this by responding to the consultation Derby City Council have launched at; 

https://letstalk.derby.gov.uk/climate-change-background