Following the publication of a report showing that climate action needs to rapidly accelerate, Belfast has launched an ambitious new climate plan.
Belfast's new Resilience Strategy was published today, setting out the city's plan of action for tackling climate breakdown. Northern Ireland has made great strides toward decarbonisation in recent years, with over 40% of our electricity now being produced through renewable sources such as wind power.
The strategy was developed as part of a broad collaboration and follows guidelines used in other cities that are partners in the global Resilient Cities Network such as Barcelona, Melbourne, and London. Resilience Commissioner Grainia Long was appointed to coordinate the development of Belfast's strategy and establish industrial partnerships to deliver it.
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The plan involves a total of 30 programmes designed to transition Belfast to become rapidly a zero-emission city and resilient to climate change. This includes plans for beefing up the city's response when disasters happen, which is more important than ever after seeing the effects that the global Covid-19 pandemic has had on the city.
Belfast Lord Mayor, Alderman Frank McCoubrey said: "As the world responds and recovers from a global pandemic, it is more crucial than ever to prioritise a sustainable and resilient strategy that supports our future wellbeing. Since we declared a climate emergency last October, we have been taking a lead in the battle against climate change and this important strategy will enable us to work with others to ensure a collective response to addressing the issue of climate moving forwards."
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The announcement follows the publication of information on the Net Zero Carbon Roadmap for Belfast, developed by the Belfast Climate Commission. The report indicates that Belfast has just nine years before it uses up all of its share of the carbon budget available until 2050, showing that rapid transformation is required.
The roadmap’s author Professor Andy Gouldson said: "The Climate Plan and the Net Zero Carbon Roadmap for Belfast go hand in hand. Based only on the fuel and electricity used within its boundaries, Belfast will use up its share of the carbon budget through to 2050 in just over nine years. The roadmap sets out how Belfast can ensure rapid reductions in carbon emissions, which also fulfils the aim of Belfast’s Resilience Strategy."
Head over to www.belfastcity.gov.uk/belfastresilience for more information.
Source: Written based on press release
