Birmingham's Commitment to CO2 Battle

5.41.40pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 17th Sep 2007

"Birmingham is showing global leadership in tackling climate change," said Councillor Paul Tilsley.

Local Liberal Democrats have welcomed the target that Birmingham has set to cut its CO2 emissions by at least 60% by 2026. This dramatic reduction is way ahead of the government's targets of 60% by 2050 and positions Birmingham as a global leader in tackling climate change.

The announcement was made by the Birmingham Strategic Partnership (an alliance of organisations from the public, private and voluntary sectors). To deliver this ambitious target, the Partnership is establishing leadership groups to ensure success and will publish its climate change strategy and action plan in the spring (2008).

Councillor Paul Tilsley (Sheldon Ward), Chair of the Birmingham Strategic Partnership, said:

"This announcement demonstrates Birmingham's global leadership in tackling climate change. We are committed to delivering a more than 60% per capita cut in our emissions by 2026 and will ensure that we are prepared for the challenges of a changing climate."

"These ambitious targets will require changes to the way we live, work & travel and will help to build a better, more sustainable Birmingham."

"We now know that we need to reduce our emissions by at least 5.2 million tonnes in order to prevent an increase in local and global weather-related disasters. By demonstrating leadership Birmingham will use its position as a global city to demand action from both central government and the EU as well as provide a beacon for other cities to follow", he added.

This commitment follows the launch of the Birmingham Cutting CO2 campaign earlier this year to increase awareness in Birmingham of the effects of climate change and to encourage everyone around the city to use less energy and cut their CO2 emissions.

Related Links:

Birmingham Cutting CO2.

Birmingham Strategic Partnership.