Case study detail
Birmingham's Leadership Conference
Birmingham's Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan
Contributed by:
Elizabeth Baines
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‘Be Birmingham’, the LSP for Birmingham, was established in 2001. It has since been actively promoting initiatives which reduce climate change emissions in Birmingham, for example through its recently launched Sustainable Procurement Compact.
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Overview
Be Birmingham will be launching its Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan on World Environment Day the 5th June 2008 as part of the Birmingham’s week long Climate Change Festival . The Strategy and Action Plan, aims to reduce carbon emissions in Birmingham by 60% from 1990 levels by 2026. The Action Plan sets out three yearly targets as part of Birmingham’s Local Area Agreement. Birmingham will be seeking to reduce emissions by 100,000 tonnes by March 2009.
Birmingham was the first LSP to develop a partnership based approach to both reducing emissions and helping the city prepare for a changed climate.
Be Birmingham acknowledge that progress needs to be quicker if we are to avoid dangerous climate change as it has taken nearly three years to develop the final strategy. However, the time taken has enabled deeper engagement with businesses and communities. It is this engagement process that has been one of the key drivers of the Strategy and Action Plan.
As well as helping to create a sustainable, low carbon city, the Strategy and Action Plan aims to engender positive social and economic change. A broad alliance of public, private, and voluntary organisations has been brought together by the Birmingham Environment Partnership to achieve this, with enormous interest having been shown from all sectors. The potential for financial savings has encouraged widespread interest, particularly from the business sector.
The Strategy and Action Plan will help reduce CO2 emissions in all sectors and areas of the city. Examples of the Strategy’s goals include:
• reducing energy use and increasing efficiency in homes and businesses
• ensuring that new buildings meet environmental standards
• improving resource efficiency
• discouraging car use
• promoting fuel efficiency
• improving purchasing and procurement
• switching to renewable energy sources
• being prepared for a warmer, wetter more unpredictable climate
To enhance socioeconomic sustainability in the city, the aims of the Strategy and Action Plan are coinciding with the reduction of fuel poverty and build up of community engagement. Keith Budden, BSP Head of Sustainability, said: ‘As well as creating a sustainable, low carbon city, the Climate Change Strategy will engender positive socio-economic change. However we have not waited for the strategy to be agreed but have already been taking action.
The promotion of renewable energy for example has mainly focused on poorer communities; this approach will help tackle fuel poverty and by working with local contractor New World Solar creating jobs and providing training whilst also cutting CO2 emissions.’
Initiatives to improve the use of renewables and energy efficiency in the home have also enhanced environmental awareness. Levels of recycling for example have increased in areas where solar thermal water heaters have been installed.
Another initiative involved introducing combined heat and power and cooling (CHP) generators. The first scheme delivered by the City Council in partnership with private sector company Utilicom serves the Council House, Rep Theatre, International Convention Centre as well as the Hyatt hotel. As well as saving nearly 2,000 tonnes of CO2 a year this scheme also saves money as the energy produced is sold at 5% below the market rate.
Since launching the Birmingham Cutting CO2 web site and pledge programme in July 2007 over 16,000 pledges have been made saving nearly 3,500 tonnes of CO2.
Be Birmingham acknowledge that progress needs to be quicker if we are to avoid dangerous climate change as it has taken nearly three years to develop the final strategy. However, the time taken has enabled deeper engagement with businesses and communities. It is this engagement process that has been one of the key drivers of the Strategy and Action Plan.
The funding for has come from various sources including the The Neighbourhood Renewal Fund and mainstream council funding.
Be Birmingham has finished its consultation process with a major leadership conference involving over 160 people from the private, public and voluntary sector. The official launch of the Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan will take place on World Environment Day on 5th June 2008.
CONTACT:
Head of Sustainability Be Birmingham and Manager Birmingham Environment:
Keith Budden: 0121 464 9169 - keith.budden@birmingham.gov.uk
Key features
energy
local government
regeneration
transport
waste initiatives
Key data
Project Team: Be Birmingham
Cost:
Local Authority: Be Birmingham - the LSP for Birmingham
Links
Be Birmingham
Be Birmingham’s Sustainable Procurement Compact
Birminngham Cutting CO2
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