The following was resolved by Haslemere Town Council on 26th September 2019:
Climate & Biodiversity Emergency Motion
In recognition of the global Climate and Biodiversity Emergency and to facilitate the reduction of greenhouse gases and conserve and promote biodiversity, Haslemere Town Council resolves to:
1) Commit to becoming a carbon-neutral organisation by 2030 including greenhouse gas emissions, with an earlier target of 2025 for all direct emissions. Set up a roadmap for achieving this aim based on an annual carbon audit (to include the Council’s own carbon footprint) by the end of the 2019 financial year;
2) Encourage and enable reduction of greenhouse gas emission and mitigation schemes within Haslemere by creating a ring-fenced environmental grants fund. The primary criterion for assessing applications to the fund should be CO2 savings per pound spent, in addition to existing Grants criteria. The initial budget will be £10,000 per financial year;
3) Seek ways to facilitate and encourage our community to reduce direct and indirect CO2 emissions and conserve and enhance biodiversity, with two objectives: To reduce and reverse Haslemere’s contribution to the Climate and Biodiversity Emergency; To improve local resilience to future changes caused by the changing climate;
This could include:
a) use of more sustainable methods and systems of transport
b) reductions in energy use in homes, shops, businesses and elsewhere
c) co-operation with organisations seeking to develop low-carbon local housing, especially community-led, affordable and social housing
d) development and use of renewable energy sources
e) production, sale and consumption of locally sourced food
f) reduction in consumption of animal products, including those from livestock
g) adoption of wildlife-friendly land and water management practices
h) actively stopping biodiversity loss and encouraging biodiversity gain and protection of habitat
i) education within our local community, to inform and encourage actions to help resolve the problem. The Council acknowledges that ‘business as usual’ is not an option in the face of this Climate and Biodiversity Emergency, and that society in its current form is unsustainable. To meet our obligations above us, therefore, resolve to assess and adjust our current activities, in terms of both their scope and undertake to lead by example.