{"id":294195,"date":"2024-01-08T10:09:15","date_gmt":"2024-01-08T09:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=294195"},"modified":"2024-01-08T10:09:17","modified_gmt":"2024-01-08T09:09:17","slug":"councils-make-undemocratic-pledges-in-dash-to-reach-net-zero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=294195","title":{"rendered":"Councils make \u2018undemocratic\u2019 pledges in dash to reach net zero"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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At least 160 local authorities have made commitments to beat Government’s 2050 target but face accusations of not consulting voters<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Hayley Dixon<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Millions of taxpayers face an accelerated dash to reach net zero<\/a> with at least 160 councils signing \u201cundemocratic\u201d pledges to beat the Government\u2019s 2050 targets, The Telegraph can disclose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local authorities across the country have introduced curbs after joining climate campaigns, including closing streets to traffic, charging vehicles to enter city centres and removing parking spaces. The Telegraph<\/a> has the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research by Together and Climate Debate UK has now mapped the councils involved for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe pledges are not just undemocratic, but antidemocratic,\u201d the authors say. \u201cThe pledges\u2019 principles and aims have not been contested in public. And the public have not been asked for their consent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pledges include acting \u201csooner\u201d than Westminster<\/a> to reach net zero and committing to more \u201cambitious\u201d plans of action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The largest campaign organisation, UK100, pays for \u201cpolitical consultants<\/a>\u201d to work in the most enthusiastic councils one day a week to help them reach their climate change goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One campaign group, UK100, pays for \u201cpolitical consultants\u201d to work in the most enthusiastic councils one day a week to help them reach their climate change goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 110 councils that have signed up to UK100 must promise that: \u201cAs local leaders<\/a> across the UK, we recognise our responsibility to tackle the climate emergency and take bold action towards net zero.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe will continue to lead the UK\u2019s response to climate change, acting sooner than the Government\u2019s goal by making substantial progress within the next decade to deliver net zero.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Members note that they will \u201caccelerate the delivery of local climate action<\/a>\u201d and \u201cdo everything within our power and influence\u201d to \u201crapidly reduce\u201d greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The majority of councils signing up to UK100 \u2013 almost 60 per cent \u2013 are either Labour-led or have Labour in power as part of a coalition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A total of 65 councils have also signed up to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, with a cross over of 15 councils committing to both pledges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Global Covenant founding document states that those involved \u201ccommit to targets that will eventually be more ambitious than those of their respective national government\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UK100\u2019s members include Oxford city council, which has pledged to be net zero by 2040, a whole decade before the government target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The authority has already introduced zero emission zones in which petrol, diesel and hybrid cars are charged up to \u00a310 a day to use certain roads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In implementing their zero carbon policies, the council had the help of a \u201cnet zero pathfinder\u201d, a political consultant paid for by the UK100 network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leicester city council, which has signed up to both pledges, is attempting to become a carbon-neutral city by 2030 and has promised to make changes to increase cycling and walking and reduce reliance on cars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In praising the work done by the \u201cUK100\u2019s Local Power in Action pathfinder\u201d at the council, Adam Clarke, the deputy mayor, said that the consultant had \u201cinfluenced effective decision making\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite working in councils, UK100 does not name its funders, saying that they are \u201cvarious grant giving organisations\u201d. It has previously announced that it has received funding from the philanthropic organisation of billionaire financier Sir Christopher Hohn, who has also funded Extinction Rebellion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UK100, which describes itself as a membership organisation, says that it does not mandate which specific policies councils should introduce to meet their targets, but they are \u201csupportive\u201d of plans to \u201cdecarbonise transport<\/a>, promote active travel, support public transport and reduce air pollution in neighbourhoods across the country\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Labour councils serving the world\u2019s richest people\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ben Pile, from Climate Debate, a group calling for discussion on net zero issues, said that the report showed the civil society organisations with the backing of billionaires were \u201cincreasingly seeking to influence local authorities\u2019 policy agendas\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said: \u201cAir pollution policies and other net zero policies will profoundly affect people\u2019s lives<\/a>, but there is little evidence of public support or agreement driving local authorities\u2019 green agenda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read the full story here <\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At least 160 local authorities have made commitments to beat Government’s 2050 target but face accusations of not consulting voters<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":294199,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"At least 160 local authorities have made commitments to beat Government's 2050 target but face accusations of not consulting voters","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691818994,691826065,691819262,691818154,691826066],"class_list":["post-294195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-climate-action","tag-decarbonise-transport","tag-green-agenda","tag-net-zero","tag-zero-emission-zones","fallback-thumbnail"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1ex5","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":255437,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=255437","url_meta":{"origin":294195,"position":0},"title":"Net zero or busted: Shapps could face potential imprisonment for not having proper plan","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"05\/01\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Cue intensified attempts to reach so-called climate targets at inevitably vast public expense. 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