Sustainable Leicester
Climate change is one of the most serious threats facing the world. In response to global calls for drastic action, the city council declared a climate emergency in February 2019. We are committed to produce a climate emergency action plan and reviewing our existing climate change targets.
We know that we have a responsibility to tackle significant environmental challenges through the management of our buildings, homes, transport network, waste services, natural habitats and energy provision.
Leicester’s carbon footprint has now almost halved against 1990 levels and the city council have reduced our own carbon emissions by over 45 per cent in a decade. Despite these significant achievements however, we know that much more needs to be done!
Since declaring a climate emergency, we have carried out a range of measures to further reduce our carbon footprint and are continuing to develop new plans and actions. We also held a public consultation which allowed the public and local organisations to help shape how Leicester responds to the climate emergency and works towards being carbon neutral.
Tackling the climate emergency will mean making big changes to the way we live and work, and will require participation from individuals, organisations, businesses and the council.
Through our new action plan, we will continue to develop ambitious actions and initiatives to reduce the city and the councils carbon emissions and address climate change adaptation.
My priorities include:
- Deliver an action plan to make Leicester a carbon neutral city as quickly as possible
- Fight to maintain our weekly bin collection and increase green waste collections
- Work towards a circular economy for waste and resources in the city, encouraging re-use, recycling and waste minimisation
- Provide free drinking water in public spaces across the city to reduce single use plastic usage
- Extend Leicester’s tree canopy coverage, planting more than one tree for any lost
- Continue to convert council fleet vehicles to clean energy/low emissions
- Support the take up of low-emission/clean energy taxis
- Install solar panels on Haymarket and Newark St car parks and establish residential electric car charging points.
