Campaigners from #GetClimateGoalsonTrack, joined by members of Leeds People’s Choir, will gather outside the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Annual General Meeting on Thursday June 22nd, at Wellington House in Central Leeds.
They will ask the Mayor to “Get West Yorkshire Climate Goals on Track” by leading on a clear, ambitious strategy to drive measurable, accelerated action on decarbonisation.
Tracy Brabin promised to tackle the climate emergency when she was elected in 2021. #GetClimateGoalsonTrack campaigners from across West Yorkshire believe the mayor’s programme and delivery does not meet the scale or the urgency of the Climate Crisis and has not made sufficient inroads into West Yorkshire’s collective emissions.
Simon Bowens, from Friends of the Earth said, “By 2030, West Yorkshire needs to reduce its CO2 emissions by 6 million tonnes – that’s a reduction of more than half. It’s the responsibility of the Mayor and councillors in the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to lead us and to take swift, measurable action on the climate. There’s plenty of good practice to learn from. We’re really looking forward to her engaging with decarbonisation with the utmost urgency and the commitment that it needs.”
#GetClimateGoalsonTrack campaigners are asking the Mayor to
- Publish the chosen pathway to achieve the necessary emissions cuts by 2038 and the 2030 milestone;
- To focus the emissions cuts on buildings and transport which make up 85% of West Yorkshire’s emissions;
- Make decarbonisation and climate action to be central to all WYCA Committee processes and decisions;
- To assess all infrastructure projects, including current road schemes, for their carbon emissions;
- Build on best practice from other combined authorities across the country.
Nick Hodgkinson from Fossil Free West Yorkshire said “Tracy Brabin has laid out strong support for fossil fuel divestment in the West Yorkshire Climate and Environment Plan 2021-2024). However, the West Yorkshire Pension Fund is still not committing to divest and is not showing sufficient awareness of the imminent threat of irreversible climate breakdown and the threats of stranded assets for pension fund investments. So today. we’re asking Tracy Brabin to use her power as West Yorkshire Mayor to get some movement on this crucial issue.”
Simon Bowens said “We remind the Mayor, her committees and officers, that best practice is available from other combined authorities across the UK, and from their own consultants who developed the Carbon Emissions Reduction Pathways report – we don’t have to start with a blank sheet.”
The demonstration, from 10-11am on June 22nd, will build on the #GetClimateGoalsonTrack pledge and on ongoing engagement with Tracy Brabin and her team.
Get West Yorkshire Climate Goals on Track 