Responding to the Climate Emergency

Climate Emergency Declaration

In a series of UN reports, thousands of scientists and government reviewers agreed that limiting global temperature rise to no more than 1.5°C would help us avoid the worst climate impacts and maintain a liveable climate. Yet policies currently in place point to a 2.8°C temperature rise by the end of the century.

The emissions that cause climate change come from every part of the world and affect everyone, but some countries produce much more than others. The seven biggest emitters alone (China, the United States of America, India, the European Union, Indonesia, the Russian Federation, and Brazil) accounted for about half of all global greenhouse gas emissions in 2020.

Everyone must take climate action, but people and countries creating more of the problem have a greater responsibility to act first.

In response to the climate threat, we declared a climate emergency and are committed to making the Council’s activities net zero carbon by 2030. Below are examples of the work that we are doing in response to this.

New! Climate and Ecological Emergency Grants

Groups in Weymouth can now apply for funding for projects which specifically tackle the climate and ecological emergency. The Environment and Services Committee agreed the new grants scheme on Wednesday 6^th March. In total, £10,000 is up for grabs, and groups can apply for funding of between £500 and £2,500 to support their initiatives.

To find out more information on how to apply click here.

What have we done so far?

Installed solar panels on the beach office and Swannery Car Park.

To read more visit Solar panels installed on council buildings across Weymouth – Weymouth Town Council | Weymouth Town Council

Working in partnership with Litter Free Dorset and Weymouth and Portland Marine Project in providing a Beach Toy Library over the Summer period.

To read more visit Weymouth Beach Toy Library is Expanding! – Weymouth Town Council | Weymouth Town Council

Bought our first electric vehicle for Park Operations and Cleansing services.

To read more visit Weymouth Town Council invests in electric vehicle – Weymouth Town Council | Weymouth Town Council

Maintaining FREE water refill points along Weymouth & Greenhill beaches.

To read more on this visit ‘Tappy hour’ event to promote water refill stations – Weymouth Town Council | Weymouth Town Council. Your community has saved 53,130 equivalent 500ml single use plastic bottles (APR – SEPT 2023) by using the Wessex Water refill stations.

• Carbon Trust commissioned to produce a Carbon Footprint (2019) Report and a subsequent Mitigation Actions Report for Weymouth Town Council emissions.
• Council produced and adopted a Decarbonisation Action Plan based on the baseline information from the Carbon Trust reports and a series of mitigation actions for the next 9 years to work towards achieving carbon zero status.
• We have worked with the Dorset Council Emergency Planning & Resilience Department to produce and adopt a Weymouth Community Emergency Plan to support and develop community resilience.
• We developed and adopted a new Events & Festival Policy – requiring all activities from this point on to address environmental and sustainability criteria.
• Pledge to go single use plastic free – stopped using single use plastic items ourselves (Policy in development).
• Adopted a Cycle-to-Work scheme for staff and introduced secure bike lockers.
• Introduced our first electric hand-held tools (hedge trimmers, strimmers) and will continue to replace petrol powered tools with electrical.
• Encouraged a mobile zero waste shop to come to Weymouth.
• Recycling facilities at the Council Offices and along Weymouth Seafront.
• Utilising biomass boiler to heat our greenhouses.
• Smart metering installed on our electricity supplies.
• LED lighting widely installed into Council building assets.
• Beach catering, retail operators have a commitment to implementing and maintaining sustainability measures; and to further work with the Council.
• Working with partners, including Wessex Water and Dorset Council, introduced additional FREE water refill locations around the town.

What are we doing now?

• Decarbonisation mitigation actions started – Electrification of the WTC fleet vehicles, increasing solar PV on Council assets, increasing the use of LED lighting and analysis of waste contract.
• Encouraging all community groups and organisations that we support to think about and address their input impact on climate change and offer support to help them meet their goals.
• Ensure that all planning comments to Dorset Council are consistent with a shift to net-zero carbon by 2030.
• Make decisions that discourage fossil fuel car use, withdraw all forms of subsidy to such usage, redirect resources into electric vehicles, walking, cycling provision and improved rail and bus services, and supports projects that help ensure that all citizens can travel to work and education, and access services in an environmentally friendly way.
• Ensure that all policy papers submitted to the Council and its Committees include a Climate Change Impact Assessment.
• Engage with all relevant local agencies and partners, including Low Carbon Dorset, to help deliver these goals through all relevant strategies, plans and shared resources and send representatives to attend any meetings, events and partner workshops.

What we plan to do:

• Produce a Weymouth Active Travel Plan to promote and encourage the use of non-motorised travel
• All new tenant agreements to have a requirement to undertake an environmental assessment and introduce mitigation measures to reduce CO2 emissions and maximise operational practices to reduce, reuse and recycle.
• Call on the UK Government to provide the powers, resources, and help with funding to make this possible, and lobby local MPs to do likewise.

Emergency Planning can be found here.