The following article by Cllr Rosy Moore, Executive Councillor for Climate Action and Environment, was published in Cambridge Independent on 28 August 2024 (pages 32 and 33). 

"It is impossible to deny the evidence that climate change is real and happening now, as we see stories of wildfires, floods and temperature records being beaten day after day. This can be very depressing, but there is still room for hope if we decide now to take serious action at a much greater intensity and rate than before.

"That's why Cambridge City Council has been focusing on cutting our own greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining high-quality vital services, and we are always looking into ways that we can do more and achieve our target of being a net zero carbon council by 2030.

"We have also been working with our partners across Cambridge to reduce our city's emissions, which is quite a bit more challenging. We have been making good progress, and it’s gratifying to see this recognised by independent organisations as Cambridge has just been ranked the second greenest city in the country by the ENDS Green Cities Index. Their rankings are judged on five key categories: public realm, green behaviour, air quality, climate and water quality.

"They note in their report that Cambridge’s ranking is 'helped in part by local residents making more environmentally friendly choices about the way they get to work', which highlights the positive impact individual choices can make. They also note Cambridge has the seventh highest number of EV charging devices per 100,000 people in England - work our city and county councillors have been proud to champion.

"In addition Cambridge is also one of only 129 cities globally to be named as an 'A' List City by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). The A-rating demonstrates climate leadership through effective action on the mitigation measures we have been taking to reduce carbon emissions to try to limit global warming, alongside the adaptation work being done so we are better able to manage the impact that a hotter and more volatile climate will have on us all.

"The rapidly warming climate is having a devastating impact on nature, but we can use nature to both mitigate and adapt to the changes. As anyone who has walked outside in a recent heatwave will know, it is much more comfortable to walk down a tree-lined street than a tree-less one and our Cambridge Canopy project has planted more than 2,000 new trees in the city. This overlap between the climate crisis and biodiversity is highlighted in the Green Cities Index assessment of the public realm, the outdoor areas in towns and cities which are accessible to the public like streets and open spaces that are so important to wildlife, where Cambridge also scored highly.

"We know the city council can't do enough on its own, and we run two groups in the city to improve collaboration and partnership working. The Cambridge Climate Leaders group has representatives from the two universities and major organisations and businesses from across the city. It started in 2016 as a space to share information, projects and ideas but is now action-focused looking at finances, data and how we can retrofit buildings, including homes, by renovating them to make them more energy efficient. 

"Our Cambridge Climate Forum includes all the voluntary community organisations concerned with climate change and we are very lucky to have a wide range of proactive groups who raise awareness, hold events, run training and offer a variety of services to help residents and businesses assess, understand, and then reduce their own carbon footprint.

"Alongside meeting regularly we support these community groups with grant funding through our Sustainable Cities Grants. The new round is open for applications for groups working to reduce energy, waste and emissions, and to prepare for the impact of climate change. If you have any projects that you would like to get started or are involved in a group that is working on making our city more sustainable, you can apply for up to £10,000.

"Finally, at the environment committee in September we will be reporting on the city council’s greenhouse gas report which has a breakdown of emissions across the council. We hope we will have some more good news to share on our successes at reducing our own carbon footprint in the council’s buildings and operations over the last year."