Aylesbury Vale District Council join 300 other local authorities to show its commitment to fighting climate change by signing the Nottingham Declaration. Each local authority has pledged to actively tackle climate change in their area and help the UK deliver its national climate change targets.

Launched in October 2000 in Nottingham, the last 3 years have witnessed a massive growth in the number of councils signing the Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change with Aylesbury Vale District Council being the 358^th in the country.  The Declaration recognises the central role of local authorities in leading society's response to the challenge of climate change. By signing the Declaration the council has pledged to systematically address the causes of climate change and to prepare their community for its impacts. The council must also produce a Climate Change Action Plan. A draft copy of this plan can be downloaded from the bottom of the page.

National Policies

National policies are increasingly driving local authorities to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the local authority area. For example, the Climate Change Act 2008 ( the first Act of it's kind in the world) sets legally binding targets for reducing green house gas emissions in the UK by at least 80% from 1990 levels by 2050 and by 34% by 2020.

Local Performance Framework

The new local performance framework includes a performance indicator for per capita reduction in CO2 emissions in the Local Authority area. From 2009 local partnerships’ performance on climate change will be assessed within Comprehensive Area Assessments undertaken by the National Audit Commission. The Council in partnership with the other Bucks councils have set carbon reduction commitments with government for the next 2 years. This Council has also set itself a 22% carbon reduction target to be achieved by 2013. LGA Climate Change Commission:

In its final report published in December 2007, the Local Government Association (LGA) Climate Change Commission concluded that “over the next two years there must be a significant and measurable improvement in the local government response to climate change.”

Energy Measures Report: The Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006 places a duty on all local authorities “in exercising any of their functions, to have regard to the most recently published energy measures report”.

Context

A global 2 degree increase in average temperatures is now almost unavoidable and will have serious implications. To avoid a raise of 3, 4 or perhaps even 6 degrees requires action now. Unless we can stop increasing CO2 emissions within 10 years and then seriously reduce and continue to reduce them frrom then on, we will be unable to protect ourselves from some massively damaging changes in the next 100 years. 

Global sea levels have risen 150mm (6 inches) between 1860 and 2008 and continue to rise. How and when glacial sheet melting will affect the gulf stream that keeps the UK temperate is unclear but a loss of the gulf stream effects would leave the UK with winters akin to Toronto (same latitude).

There is universal acceptance that the world is warming. International consensus agrees that this is mainly the result of human activities. According to the Met offices new chief scientist: we are going from an interglacial period to the planet being as warm as it was in the age of the dinosaurs – and we are doing it in 100 years. As such there is simply insufficient time for the ecosystems to adjust.  

The Challenge of Climate Change

The evidence for climate change is compelling. There is a growing understanding of how the impacts will vary across the world. The UK climate is expected to become warmer, with wetter winters, drier summers, and more extreme weather events, such as heavy rain, high winds and extreme high temperatures. There is also expectation of increasing sea level rises and increases in sea storm surge heights. These issues will have effects on aspects of life including, for example the need to cool homes in the summer leading to both increased energy demand and costs to the householder, schools and businesses. It will also lead to flooding and storm damage on the scale of Boscastle but on a more frequent basis.

The Role of Local Authorities

Local authorities have a central role in leading society's response to the challenge of climate change by:

• Raising awareness of actions that can be done to mitigate and adapt to dangerous climate change

• Helping communities to become resilient to more extreme weather events

• Planning for developments that are adapted to a future of hotter summers, warmer winters and more frequent heavy and unpredictable storms.

• Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from their own buildings, services and the community

• Helping business and communities reduce their carbon emissions through advice, guidance and offering practical solutions

• Assisting the process towards delivery of renewable energy technologies in the district.

Having a climate change action plan will help ensure that Aylesbury Vale District Council take a strategic and comprehensive approach. Taking a systematic approach to climate change will ensure that the right people are involved and have the backing of senior management and Elected Members. It will also provide evidence that Aylesbury Vale District Council is actively addressing climate change.

Adaptation and Mitigation Adaptation = addressing the impacts of climate change. Mitigation = addressing the causes of climate change.

Whilst the future brings with it change on an unprecedented scale, there are of course opportunities that come with it. Warmer UK summers may lead to a revival of the UK tourist industry, this may well lead to a reduction in air travel. The UK wine growing industry has seen a renaisance moving from a period of the 1970s with a little over 1 day per year with temperatures over 32 to present day with 8.5 days per year putting parts of the UK on a similar footing to the wine growing regions of France in 1970.

Five reasons for signing the Nottingham Declaration

1. Reassurance of our residents

2. Strengthening our council's response including production of a Climate Change Action Plan.

3. Performing well and showing a local lead to business, residents, voluntary groups and our communities.

4. Saving money and accessing resources.

5. Improving the quality of life of local communities.

Tackling climate change through councils- three roles

Aylesbury Vale District Council can support adaptation and mitigation through its roles as:

• Estate Manager

• Planning authority

• Service Provider

• Community Leader

• Purchaser of goods and services

• Regulator (SWMP, etc)

Date Updated: 28/09/11