Climate Emergency
Case reference EIR2023/00045
Published 9 January 2024
Request
Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act 2000, please respond to the following: Date from 2000 to present date 2023 1. Oxford City Council declared a 'Climate Emergency'. What is the council's definition of a 'Climate Emergency'? 2. Please disclose the evidence, data, correspondence or other documents in support of the council's decision to declare a 'Climate Emergency'. 3. Please disclose a list of policies that have been introduced as a consequence of the 'Climate Emergency'. 4. Please disclose a list of strategic 'Climate Emergency' partners. 5. Please disclose a list of the strategic partners of Oxford City Council with respect to the 'Climate Crisis'. •
Response
1. Oxford City Council declared a 'Climate Emergency'. What is the council's definition of a 'Climate Emergency'?
We utilise the LGA's (Local Government Association) definition which acknowledges that globally,our current trajectory is moving us rapidly towards more than 2.0 C of warming, which for the UK will bring hotter, drier summers and milder, wetter winters with an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Sea level rise, biodiversity impacts and loss of agricultural productivity are also expected. By declaring a Climate Emergency we've acknowledged that the Council needs to act on the causes and impacts of climate change.
2. Please disclose the evidence, data, correspondence or other documents in support of the council's decision to declare a 'Climate Emergency'.
The Council took this position in January 2019. All the evidence we have is in the minutes - as it this happened as a result of a Council resolution.
3. Please disclose a list of policies that have been introduced as a consequence of the 'Climate Emergency'.
The council has collated the actions it has committed to it a Net Zero Master Plan which can be found here:
https://mycouncil.oxford.gov.uk/documents/s72687/Master%20Plan%20Net%20Zero.pdf
4. Please disclose a list of strategic 'Climate Emergency' partners.
On the 4th February 2021, coordinated by Oxford City Council, a group of 21 leaders from the city's universities, institutions and large businesses signed the Zero Carbon Oxford Charter, which marks their support for achieving net zero carbon emissions as a city by 2040.
The full list of businesses and organisations that attended the summit and signed the Zero Carbon Oxford Charter were:
1. University of Oxford
2. Unipart
3. Landsec
4. Oxfordshire County Council
5. BMW Mini
6. The Conference of Colleges
7. Oxford Brookes University
8. Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
9. Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
10.Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership - signing of the Charter is subject to Board
ratification
11.Low Carbon Hub
12.Activate Learning
13.Beard Construction
14.Lucy Properties
15.Nielsen
16.Oxfam GB
17.Oxford Bus Company
18.River Learning Trust
19.Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN)
20.Stagecoach in Oxfordshire
21.Oxford City Council
5. Please disclose a list of the strategic partners of Oxford City Council with respect to the 'Climate Crisis'.
As above.
Documents
This is Oxford City Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
You can browse our other responses or make a new FOI request.