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| Councillor Andrew Cooper |
Green Party Councillor Andrew Cooper is attending the COP23 Climate
Change Talks in Bonn, Germany next week and he has a plan to tackle the Climate
Change Denying US President, Donald Trump.
Andrew is a member of the UK Delegation to the EU Committee
of the Regions that represents the views of Local and Regional Governments in
the European Union. At a meeting of the Committee last month he successfully got
this European Institution to back a policy that would give Councils and
Regional bodies the ability to contribute directly towards the Paris Climate
Change targets without referring to their National Governments.
“Currently all action to reduce carbon emissions goes
through National Governments through a system of ‘Nationally Determined
Contributions’.” said Councillor Cooper “My proposal is to establish Locally and
Regionally Determined Contributions where Councils and bodies below National
Governments could establish their own targets and produce plans to implement
them.”
Now Councillor Cooper’s initiative has been passed at the
European Level, the EU Committee of the Regions is taking it as one of their principal
proposals to the COP23 Global Climate Talks in Bonn this month. Councillor
Cooper will be attending the Summit of Local and Regional Leaders and will seek
to get the policy inserted into the Summit Declaration.
“Adopting this policy will provide a way for State Governments
in the USA to produce plans to reduce carbon emissions without seeking the
permission of their President. We cannot allow the illogical and unscientific
approach taken by President Trump to go unchallenged. This is a way he can be side stepped and give those politicians who take a rational approach in the USA
the policies they need to make the action they take at the local level count
towards international climate change targets.”
Councillor Cooper also explained the benefits of the policy
for Councils in the UK
“This proposal is also very relevant to us in Kirklees.
Action we take at the local level, such as mass insulation schemes,
installing LED Streetlights or tree planting projects would not currently be
taken into account in the UK Government’s Carbon Reduction Plans. Under my
proposal any action we take to reduce carbon emissions would be taken into account and make it
easier to achieve our challenging targets to reduce global greenhouse gases.”
The Climate Summit of Local and Regional Leaders will be
held on 12th of November with the Summit Declaration being announced
at the end of the day.
ENDS
A Briefing Note on
Locally Determined Contributions
EU Committee of the
Regions backs Local Targets on Climate Change
Contact
Councillor Andrew Cooper – Mobile - 07721 348619 Email – andrew.cooper@greenparty.org.uk
Go get him Andrew. 😁
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