The City of Edinburgh Council has become the 100th Council to sign up to the 10:10 Climate Change campaign. Council Leader, Councillor Jenny Dawe signed the pledge at 10:10am on Wednesday morning at Edinburgh City Chambers. It was 100th day of the 10:10 campaign.
The 10:10 campaign aims to reduce carbon emissions by ten percent by 2010 by targeting all sectors, including businesses, workplaces, hospitals, universities and schools. The campaign is seen as vital in the drawn-out battle to bring down carbon emissions and reduce the threat of catastrophic climate change.
Governments at national level have set long-term goals for reducing carbon emissions, but critics have argued that some of these goals are so far off that they are virtually meaningless. It remains to be seen what deal and initiatives for reducing carbon emissions international leaders can broker at the climate change conference which is currently happening in Copenhagen.
10:10 encourages carbon reductions as close to the 10 percent target as possible with a minimum target of three percent reduction. Councils are asked to set a baseline year up till the end of June 2010 and then submit reports showing reductions over a 12 month period.
The 10:10 campaign focuses on four areas, electricity consumption in buildings, gas consumption in buildings, road transport and air travel, and asks organisations to report reductions in these.
The campaign was founded by indefatiguable, activist filmmaker Franny Armstrong, and launched at the same time as she was promoting her new climate change docu-drama starring Pete Postlethwaite, The Age of Stupid. Partners in the campaign include the Energy Savings Trust, the Carbon Trust, The Guardian, Action Aid and Comic Relief. The campaign has also won support from across the political spectrum with Prime Minister Gordon Brown an early advocate and the British Conservative party pledging their whole frontbench.
With Edinburgh on board there are now 100 local authorities responsible for services to more than 18m people signed up to the campaign - nearly one third of the UK population.
“We have focused our attention on developing a realistic and ambitious carbon reduction programme, setting the Council as an exemplar in the city," said Council Leader, Councillor Jenny Dawe today. "The 10:10 campaign is a logical progression of this approach and these reductions bring a welcome focus to that work."
Cllr Alexis Rowell, Coordinator of the 10:10 Councils and Chair of the all-party Sustainability Task Force of the London Borough of Camden, said:
“Councils like Edinburgh are the unsung heroes of the 10:10 Campaign. When a local authority says it will cut its emissions by 10 percent in 2010, then it is bound to set a plan and residents can check progress. But councils can also play a key role in spreading the 10:10 message to individuals, organisations and businesses in their area. Aberdeen were the first Scottish council to join the 10:10 Campaign. Edinburgh have just become the 100th UK local authority to sign up.”
For further information on 10:10 contact Campaign Director, Eugenie Harvey – 07966 014122.