“Birmingham City Council passed a declaration of #ClimateEmergency this evening by 83-0, aspiration to net zero by 2030, climate change now one of the council’s six priority action areas. Great speech from @LisaTrickett41: ‘We have to build a common purpose, a new civic agency for this city'”  (source)

Manchester City Council has not declared an emergency yet. If you live, work or study within its boundaries, you can sign the petition to get it to do so here, and get involved in the campaign to get the necessary 4000 people to sign it by filling in this form.  If you live in South Manchester, there’s a meeting in Northenden this Saturday, 15th June, from 11.30 to discuss local action.

And that motion (a cross-party effort)?  It said the following:

MOTIONS FOR DEBATE FROM INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS

To consider the following Motion of which notice has been given.
Councillors Robert Alden, Roger Harmer, Julien Pritchard and Lisa Trickett
as proposers and Councillors Jon Hunt, Suzanne Webb and Waseem Zaffar
as seconders have given notice of the following Notice of Motion:-

“This Council notes that
• The Climate Crisis is an existential threat that requires us to change the
way we invest in, grow and sustain our cities and regions.
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report
published in October 2018 set out the devastating consequences for
the planet if it warmed more than 1.5C – with increased extreme
weather with heatwaves and floods driving mass migration and global
insecurity; the catastrophic social and ecological impacts worsening for
every degree of warming.
• The impact of climate change will not just be felt in far-away lands or
coastal areas, the impact on Birmingham residents of increased
extreme weather events, including flooding, droughts and heatwave is
likely to be profound, with increasing risks to both life and property.
Given our global footprint and the diversity of the city the climate crisis
will hit at the heart of families and communities within the city.
• Given the planet is currently heading for 3-4C warming, keeping to
1.5C requires a radical shift across energy, land, industrial, urban and
other systems to reduce emissions, unprecedented in history for the
breadth, depth and speed of change required.
• All governments (national, regional and local) have a duty to limit the
negative impacts of Climate Breakdown and in recognising this local
government should not wait for national government to change their
polices. It is important for the residents of Birmingham, the Region and
the UK that cities commit to zero carbon as quickly as possible.
• Birmingham and the West Midlands, as the birthplace of the Industrial
Revolution and a global player in the development of green technology,
is ideally placed –- and has a moral responsibility to lead a new Green
Industrial Revolution that delivers clean and inclusive growth.
• Birmingham City Council has already made progress in addressing the
issue of Climate Change, having adopted a target to cut Carbon
Dioxide emissions by 60% by 2027 from a 1990 baseline and has
already cut emissions by 33% (as of 2015).
• Unfortunately, current plans and actions are not enough. Transition in
time requires a system change that drives decarbonisation whilst
delivering justice and jobs.

This Council resolves:
• To declare a climate emergency.
• To aspire for the City to be net zero carbon by 2030 or as soon after as
a just transition permits – making sure we take communities with us,
protecting employment and without impoverishing deprived
communities.
• To work with the WMCA and seek from the UK Government the powers
and resources to help Birmingham deliver the 2030 net zero carbon
ambition for a just transition.
• That the Council will lead by example and seek to be net zero carbon
by 2030 – again ensuring that this is just – taking communities with us,
protecting employment and without impoverishing deprived
communities.
• To constitute a Climate Emergency Task Force to support the Council
move from declaration to delivery drawing in cross sector, expertise,
capacity and capability to capture the investment and economic
opportunity arising from a low carbon future.
• To quickly set in place a process of engagement and collaborative
action that enables the Task Force to bring forward to Full Council in
January 2020 a plan that sets out how the aspiration for the City and
the ambition of the Council to be net zero carbon by 2030 can be best
achieved.
• As a matter of urgency to review planned Transport, Housing, Waste
and Energy Investment plans and policies to ensure they are fit to
support a transition to a zero-carbon future with Sustainability and
Transport Overview and Scrutiny monitoring progress and to provide
an update to Council in November 2019 and annually thereafter.”