Earlier in November, world leaders came together in Egypt for COP27, bringing the climate crisis to the forefront of public consciousness.
And closer to home, a great deal of work has been taking place to support Brighton & Hove’s journey to net zero.
After launching the Carbon Neutral 2030 programme in 2021, we published our first Carbon Neutral 2030 annual report. Alongside the full report, we have created a shorter summary of the Carbon Neutral 2030 annual report and an animation introducing the Carbon Neutral 2030 annual report.
What we’ve done
Listed below are some of the other activities that have taken place over the last 3 months to as we continue to progress towards carbon neutrality.
- Residents at Rose Hill Court seniors housing scheme were nominated for a national biodiversity award for transforming their communal garden by planting wildflowers, meadow plants and trees
- 3,000 people joined our ‘Move for Change’ initiative which rewards sustainable travel
- £7.8 million is being invested in reducing emissions and a cleaner, safer environment
- We increased the number of exclusive bays for charging electric vehicles
- We supported the distribution of 100 starling nest boxes to celebrate the return of migrating starlings to the city
- We celebrated Car Free Day and launched our ‘Not far? Leave the car’ campaign to encourage more people to choose active and sustainable travel
- We launched a consultation on restricting traffic around 6 schools to make travel to and from school safer and healthier
- A new purchasing policy was agreed which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, minimise waste and protect biodiversity
- We installed wildlife-friendly lighting in St Ann’s Well Gardens
- We published new guidance for property developers to help protect and enhance wildlife
- We celebrated the inaugural Brighton & Hove Circular Economy Week
- We launched a series of ‘Circular Saturdays’ repair workshops
- We proposed new targets to improve air quality in Brighton & Hove
Showcasing climate action
Councillor Phélim Mac Cafferty, leader of the council, said:
“In the last 3 months alone, we’ve seen the effects of climate change locally – from the hottest summer on record with wildfires raging across the countryside to flash flooding in the last week which has left vast areas across Sussex under water.
“Every and all attempts to reduce harmful emissions to minimise our city’s impact on our precious environment are needed now more than ever before.
“To showcase the action we are taking to prevent climate change, we have published the first Carbon Neutral 2030 annual report since the programme launched last year. And to help more people understand the importance of this work, we’ve also created an animation and summary of the report.
“Local businesses and residents are such an incredibly important of how we will further reduce our carbon footprint, but in order to become a carbon neutral city, we need urgent, drastic action from central government to slow down and prevent the devastating effects of the climate crisis.”