Portsmouth City Council has joined several international climate change initiatives to increase climate action ambitions and demonstrate transparency in their actions and progress.
Initiatives include the Carbon Disclosure Project, Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, Race to Zero and Race to Resilience.
Portsmouth City Council publicly discloses its climate profile through the Carbon Disclosure Project, an international charity that assesses information on climate risks and low carbon opportunities. It joins over 1,000 other cities, states and regional, including 47 local authority areas from the UK.
The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy is the largest global alliance for city leadership pledging to cut greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for the future impacts of climate change. We join over 12,000 cities globally, and 63 towns and cities in the UK in this alliance.
The two United Nations-backed campaigns, Race to Zero and Race to Resilience, aim to rally leadership to halve carbon emissions by 2030 and help mobilise cities to strengthen climate change resilience of vulnerable people.
As a coastal city, it is vital that Portsmouth addresses the increasing risks of flooding through the council’s Surface Water Management Plan and implements projects such as the North Portsea Island Scheme, which includes the construction of 8.4 km of new flood defences, reducing the risk of flooding to over 4,000 homes and 500 businesses for the next century. These projects are recognised on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) High Level Champions website, alongside other cities around the world, for locally led adaptation and resilience building actions. Read more here climatechampions.unfccc.int/cities-race-to-resilience-driving-locally-led-adaptation-and-resilience-building-action/.
Cllr Kimberly Barrett, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment at Portsmouth City Council, said: “We are very proud to be part of these climate change international initiatives, as we can measure what we are doing when compared with cities all over the world. Portsmouth is a unique city due to its location, vast shoreline, and population. So it is imperative that we ensure we are prepared for how climate change will affect our landscape.
“We are taking measures that will reduce the impact of climate change but there is still lots of work to do. Not only within the council and the services we provide but also with businesses and residents. We will look to these initiatives to guide us towards a greener future.”
These initiatives and actions form part of the Climate Change Strategy which sets out the aim that the council will become a net zero-carbon organisation by 2030 and will lead by example in implementing and promoting sustainable, climate-resilient, low carbon practices across operations. Read the strategy on www.portsmouth.gov.uk/climateaction.
It’s time to take action
Portsmouth City Council is investing in their climate change response to make the city a cleaner, greener, and safer place to live. By continuing to provide knowledge, attract funding, and collaborate with the community on projects that tackle climate change whilst addressing our local challenges.
Anyone interested in receiving news on the council’s plans to tackle climate change, funding opportunities, and how you can get involved can sign up to receive email updates by going to www.portsmouth.gov.uk/climateaction.
