Decision Details

Motion L

Proposer: Cllr Nissen

This Council notes:

• The Glasgow Pact is a significant deal signalling the end of coal, oil and gas - and it's wide agreement by leaders to "keep 1.5C alive".
• The moral authority shown by climate activists, based on climate science, has been clear in setting this higher ambition.
• The Glasgow Pact did not secure National Determined Contributions (NDCs) to stay within 1.5C so will be only a game changer if we get our act together over the coming year, which depends on what the UK does with its continued presidency of COP, and the wider actions and leadership across the UK.

 This Council further notes:
• The most climate vulnerable countries are calling for natural justice, for the rich countries to pay for current losses and damages based on historic greenhouse gas emissions; and
• That the world's government's must now accept we are now in climate emergency mode and have to come back next year with plans and pledges that at least halve carbon emissions this decade and set carbon budgets that stay well within the 1.5C limit.

Therefore this Council calls on the UK government to:
1. Reverse Official Development Assistance (ODA, "aid") budget cuts
2. Conduct an independent review into UK fossil fuel subsidies and set out a plan and timetable to phase these out.
3. Put climate change at the heart of all future trade deals, and call for an end to the investor-state dispute settlement (so called "corporate courts") that allow companies to sue governments for taking climate action (see www.globaljustice.org.uk).
4. Commit to no more coal, oil (je or gas) extraction in the UK, or through UK investments overseas.
5. Commit to no airport expansion across the UK, and for international aviation and shipping decarbonisation to be included in NDCs, and in future trade deals.
6. Cancel the UK's current road building programme and divert spending to local council zero carbon transport plans.
7. Commit that UK international climate finance is provided in addition to existing official development assistance (ODA) as agreed at the Copenhagen and Paris climate summits and for this to include funds for climate mitigation, adaptation and loss and damage payments.

As the motion relates to a non-executive function, it will be debated and determined at the meeting.