COP26: Sheffield Council reveals 10 point action plan to tackle climate crisis

It coincides with pivotal talks on the future of the planet which are taking place in Glasgow this month, called COP26.

A report on the council’s plan said it is not perfect nor is it fully costed but it is the framework for how the authority will act in the short term including tackling direct and indirect carbon emissions as well as climate resilience.

What is Sheffield Council’s 10 point climate change plan?

The framework has 10 key commitments for action which are:

1) We will put climate at the centre of our decision-making

2) We will be proactive in finding ways to resource the action that is needed

3) We will take action to reduce carbon now

4) We will work towards reducing council emissions to net zero by 2030

5) We will work to bring the city together to make the changes we need

6) We will work with the city to develop delivery plans for the areas where change needs to happen

7) We will work with and support people, businesses and organisations to take the action that is needed

8) We will work to build the skills and economy we need for the future

9) We will work to ensure we have the planning and infrastructure we need for the future

10) We will prepare the city to adapt for a changing climate

There are also a number of key principles which include: ensuring inequalities are not worsened, focusing on interventions that have the most impact, collaborating with others in Sheffield and further afield, looking to the long-term, innovating and experimenting and addressing the ecological and nature crisis as well.

How much will it cost Sheffield to tackle climate change?

The council stressed that it is unable to fund and deliver all the changes needed as it is responsible for seven percent of Sheffield’s emissions.

Officers said: “We are ambitious and committed to act, because it is the right thing for the people and future of the city, but we are clear that Sheffield City Council is not in a position to finance everything that is needed, does not have the powers that are needed and does not have the responsibility to do everything that is needed within the city.

“We are clear that Government will need to play its part in enabling finance, empowering local authorities and intervening in markets that currently do not work as they need to meet this challenge.”

To decarbonise housing alone will cost around £2 – £5 billion, which would significantly increase rents for tenants or council tax if the council funded all of this.

The cost of decarbonising the council’s non-domestic buildings is estimated to be at least £19 million.

Earlier this year, Andy Sheppard, lead sustainability expert at Arup, said: “These costs aren’t compared to the option of not doing anything because the option of not doing anything doesn’t really exist any more.”

The plan will be discussed at a meeting of the climate change, economy and development transitional committee on Wednesday, November 10.