The report of the Deputy Chief Executive and City Treasurer is attached.

In November 2018, the Executive agreed to establish a science-based carbon reduction target for Manchester, which required the city as a whole to adopt a carbon budget of 15 million tonnes of CO2 between 2018 and 2100. This would require a year-on-year reduction of at least 13%, emissions to be halved within five years, and lead to the city becoming zero carbon by 2038 at the latest. In March 2019 the Executive endorsed the Manchester Zero Carbon Framework 2020-38, as the city’s outline approach to meeting its targets, as proposed by the Manchester Climate Change Partnership and in July 2019, the Council declared a climate emergency. This declaration recognised the need for the Council, and the city as a whole, to do more to reduce its carbon emissions and mitigate the negative impacts of climate change. It also demonstrated the Council’s commitment to be at the forefront of the global response to climate change and to lead by example

In February 2020 the Climate Change Partnership published a final version of the Framework, the Manchester Climate Change Framework 2020-25. The Framework was intended to provide the overarching structure for organisations to ‘plug-in’ their own bespoke plans, guided by 15 actions, as set out in the report, with the delivery of organisations’ plans to be supported and enabled by incentives, standards and infrastructure provided by the Manchester Climate Change Agency, the Council, Manchester’s strategic partners, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, UK Government and their agencies.

The report explained that to realise the zero carbon vision for the city the Framework committed to achieve four headline objectives:

·         Staying within the carbon budget for the city;

·         Climate adaptation and resilience;

·         Health and wellbeing; and

·         Inclusive, zero carbon and climate resilient economy.

In addition to the four headline objectives, the Framework also set out seven key areas where urgent action was required:

·         Buildings (new and existing);

·         Renewable energy;

·         Transport and flying

·         Food

·         The things we buy and throw away;

·         Green infrastructure and nature-based solution; and

·         Supporting and enabling residents and organisations to act.

The Climate Change Partnership had invited the Executive to consider three proposals in relation to the Manchester Climate Change Framework 2020-25:

·         Formally adopt the Manchester Climate Change Framework’s aim, vision, objectives and targets as the definition of what Manchester needs to achieve in order to ‘play its full part in limiting the impacts of climate change’;

·         On behalf of the city, endorse the Manchester Climate Change Framework as Manchester’s high-level strategy for achieving the aim, vision, objectives and targets; and

·         Deliver the Manchester City Council Climate Change Action Plan for the period 2020-25 in order to contribute towards the successful implementation of the citywide Framework.

It was commented that this report was one of the most important reports the Executive had had to consider for many years and it was reassuring to see that proposals to move to a green future were being developed in an Our Manchester way - working with residents and organisations to deliver this agenda. It was also reported that this year’s Manchester Day would be themed around Climate Change, with Deansgate and St Stephenson Square closed to all vehicles and invitations to attend had been sent to Greta Thunberg and David Attenborough.

Members noted the hard work that had gone into developing the Framework and thanked all the officers involved for their contributions. An area of concern raised was the consequence of not achieving the required 13% reduction in CO2 each year from now until the Framework was reviewed in 2023 and it was explained that if sufficient progress was not made in the first few years, then there would be a need to increase the percentage of CO2 reduction for each year after, placing more pressure on the ability for the Council to achieve its 2030 zero carbon target.

It was also commented that the Framework was probably the most ambitious plan in Europe, if not the world, and that Manchester should be proud of the commitment it has made, with the work to be undertaken over the next five years being the most crucial. It was noted that other places across the country and the world would need to develop plans that were as ambitious as Manchester’s if real change to addressing climate change was to be achieved

It was noted that the report had also been considered at a recent meeting of the Neighbourhoods and Environment Scrutiny Committee and the committee had endorsed its recommendations (Minute NESC/20/19).

Decisions

1.         To note the content of the Manchester Climate Change Framework 2020-25. Endorses the Manchester Climate Change Framework as Manchester’s high-level strategy for achieving the aim, vision, objectives and targets

2.         To adopt the Manchester Climate Change Framework’s aim, vision, objectives and targets as the definition of what Manchester needs to achieve in order to ‘play its full part in limiting the impacts of climate change’.

3.         To agree to deliver the Manchester City Council Climate Change Action Plan for the period 2020-25 in order to contribute towards the successful implementation of the citywide Framework