The
Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change (new
window) is a voluntary pledge to address the issues of
climate change. It is a high-level, broad statement of
commitment that over 300 councils have signed, demonstrating
their support for action to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from
their own activities and those within the community that
contribute to climate change.
The declaration was originally launched at a conference in
Nottingham in October 2002. It was updated to reflect current
thinking and re-launched in December 2005. Suffolk Coastal formally
signed up to the declaration at a meeting of Full Council on 26
October 2006.
You can
view the signed declaration (new window PDF
363KB) or read the text in full below.
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Text of the Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change
We acknowledge that:
- Evidence shows that climate change is occurring.
- Climate change will continue to have far reaching effects on
the UK's people and places, economy, society and
environment.
We welcome the:
- Social, economic and environmental benefits which come from
combating climate change.
- Emissions targets agreed by central government and the
programme for delivering change, as set out in the UK Climate
Change Programme.
- Opportunity for local government to lead the response at a
local level, encouraging and helping local residents, local
businesses and other organisations - to reduce their energy costs,
to reduce congestion, to adapt to the impacts of climate change, to
improve the local environment and to deal with fuel poverty in our
communities.
- Endorsement of this declaration by central
government.
We commit our Council from 26 October 2006
to:
- Work with central government to contribute, at a local level,
to the delivery of the UK Climate Change Programme, the Kyoto
Protocol and the target for carbon dioxide reduction by 2010.
- Participate in local and regional networks for support.
- Within the next two years develop plans with our partners and
local communities to progressively address the causes and the
impacts of climate change, according to our local priorities,
securing maximum benefit for our communities.
- Publicly declare, within appropriate plans and strategies, the
commitment to achieve a significant reduction of greenhouse gas
emissions from our own authority's operations, especially energy
sourcing and use, travel and transport, waste production and
disposal and the purchasing of goods and services.
- Assess the risk associated with climate change and the
implications for our services and our communities of climate change
impacts and adapt accordingly.
- Encourage all sectors in our local community to take the
opportunity to adapt to the impacts of climate change, to reduce
their own greenhouse gas emissions and to make public their
commitment to action.
- Monitor the progress of our plans against the actions needed
and publish the result.
Suffolk Coastal District Council acknowledges the increasing
impact that climate change will have on our community during the
21st century and commits to tackling the causes and effects of a
changing climate on our district.
Signed by:
Ray Herring
Leader of Suffolk Coastal
District Council.
Stephen Baker
Chief Executive of Suffolk
Coastal District Council.
Ian Pearson
Minister of State for Climate
Change and the Environment,
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Baroness Andrews OBE
Parliamentary Under
Secretary of State,
Department for Communities and Local
Government.