Council Signs Global Covenant underlining Reading’s commitment to climate action
Reading Council’s commitment to tackling the climate emergency was cemented when Leader Jason Brock signed the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy after a Full Council meeting this week.
The Covenant was launched in 2008 and is built on the commitment of over 11,500 cities and local governments around the world, six continents and 142 countries - collectively representing more than 1 billion people – who are united by a shared long-term vision to support voluntary action to combat climate change.
Councillor Brock said: “The signing of this Covenant is the latest example of the Council’s long standing commitment to tackle the climate emergency, which dates back to 2006 with the signing of the Nottingham Declaration and which was refreshed when we declared a climate emergency in 2019.
“In that time the Council has made huge strides by cutting our own carbon footprint by nearly 70% and last year being named as one of only 11 UK local authorities, and one of just 95 across the world, to make the Carbon Disclosure Project’s (CDP) coveted ‘A’ list on climate action.
“The Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy is the largest global alliance for city climate leadership across the globe and I am delighted to add Reading’s name to it.”
Reading has a long and proud track record of taking action on climate change. Since 2007 the Council has worked with partners in the Reading Climate Change Partnership to take this forward. The Partnership’s previous Climate Change Strategy, Reading Means Business on Climate Change 2013-20, set a target of a 34% reduction in Borough emissions by 2020, which was achieved several years early. The Partnership’s new Climate Emergency Strategy, which has been endorsed by the Council, commits to the ambitious goal of a ‘net zero, resilient Reading by 2030’.
More recent climate action and achievements by the Council, residents and other partners include:
- As a result of action set out in consecutive corporate Carbon Plans, Reading Borough Council has cut its carbon footprint by 69.8% since 2008/09
- Reading borough’s overall carbon footprint has fallen by 49% since 2005 - the 5th largest reduction of 379 UK local authority areas
- In November 2021 the Council launched the first fully electric waste collection vehicle in Berkshire making collections from 1,400 houses daily and driving 8,000 miles a year with no tailpipe emissions - saving 32,200kg of greenhouse gas emissions annually compared to a diesel equivalent. The EV refuse truck will be the first of many as part of our vehicle replacement programme which should see virtually the entire Council fleet electrified by 2028
- Reading’s recycling rate increased from 32% up to 52% between April 2020 and April 2021 thanks to the introduction of food waste collections
- Reading Borough Council’s own housing has achieved an average Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of ‘C’ compared to the national average of ‘D’, with plans to invest an additional £34m over the next 5 years in measures which will further improve energy efficiency
- The Council’s ‘Zero Carbon Homes’ Local Plan policy, adopted in 2019, was identified by the environmental campaign groups Friends of the Earth and Ashden as a best practice case study in local authority climate action in March 2022
The council are already delivering on the obligations associated with the Covenant of Mayors, joining represents an additional sign of the council’s commitment and will give the council access to the benefits of being part of the wider network.
The signing of the Covenant’s letter of commitment obliges signatories to:
- Commit to setting ambitious carbon reduction targets at least as ambitious as our national goals: Reading is already working towards net zero by 2030, compared to the UK target of net zero by 2050.
- Engage residents, business and governments at all levels in implementation: Reading is already doing so through the multi-agency, cross-sector Reading Climate Change Partnership and has plans to extend engagement in 2022 and beyond.
- Act now to develop, implement and report on progress: Reading is already doing so via its Climate Emergency Strategy, and annual progress reporting including via the CDP platform.
- Network with fellow local authorities and leaders to support each other: Reading is already doing so via various local government forums in the UK and beyond.